Despite bursting onto the scene as young as an 18-year-old, Washington Sundar hadn’t received the backing with consistent matches as much as he has relished since former India batter Gautam Gambhir took over as head coach last year.
Nine of Sundar’s 13 Test matches have occurred under Gambhir since late October and the Tamil Nadu all-rounder had a vital role to play during the recently-concluded Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy.
Featuring in four of the five Tests in the UK, Sundar racked up 284 runs including his maiden Test hundred while also bagging seven wickets, comprising a cracking four-wicket haul at the Lord’s Cricket Ground, marking the second-best figures by an Indian spinner in England in the 21st century. Sundar heaped praise on the leadership of Gambhir, a fellow southpaw whom he idolised during his formative IPL years in the previous decade.
“He also had No. 5 on the back of his jersey (like me). And obviously he was a left hander, who was extremely elegant. The only thing I didn’t enjoy was bowling to him in the IPL. He was someone who was super succesful against me but he is an amazing human being. He has had so much faith in all of us that we would fight at all times and win the game. Really glad to see him happy at the end of the series,” Sundar revealed in an interview with Wisden.
Sundar also attributed India’s strong performances in the series to the sound communication relayed between coach Gambhir, skipper Shubman Gill and the rest of the squad.
“Credit to them for having such a calm dressing room throughout the series. Their communication was precise and clear on what was expected. Both of them have a lot of belief in their players and that really helps in the bigger picture,” said Sundar.
Batting at number five in the Manchester Test, Sundar cracked his maiden Test century during a 203-run association with Ravindra Jadeja as India overhauled a 311-run first-innings deficit to secure a famous draw.
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