One of the revelations of the recently concluded Anderson-Tendulkar trophy has been Washington Sundar. The all-rounder bowled crucial spells through the series and also chipped in with important cameos with the bat. His sister Shailaja Sundar revealed how thankful they were for Head Coach Gautam Gambhir in giving Sundar the opportunity, and she also recalled the memories of them playing as a team.
“We used to play together and open the innings for our team”, she said. “I’m a right-hander and he’s a left-hander. The right-left combination used to work. We used to build really good partnerships. All of those are lovely memories now,” Shailaja said speaking on NDTV podcast.
Shailaja on Gambhir said, “The kind of opportunities Gauti bhai gave Washi in recent times has been fantastic. And I think Washi is also making the best use of it. He has also been performing really well. He’s vindicating Gauti bhai’s trust. I only wish their wonderful bond grows, for the best of the Indian cricket team. I think both of them are working to give their best, to bring the best result.”
The best at drift
The stats have already been indicating Washington at 25 has been the best in extracting the drift, Raju believes he can get even better from here on. “If he bowls a lot in domestic cricket or in the net session. Consistency will improve. On a sub-continent Indian wicket, not a problem. There will be little help for Spin. So, he was quite decent when he played in Australia. But he didn’t get much to bowl. The more he bowls, he will be a better bowler.” And that can only be good news for India as by the time they travel to a proper full tour overseas, Washington can be the leading spin allrounder of the team.
According to Cricviz, it is the drift that has been the most potent weapon for spinners to pick wickets in England and since 2006 among all the spinners bowled in England, it is Washington who has been able to get the maximum amount of it. (2.7 degrees). “It’s all about how you finish (bowling action), how you release. A little more early release. Then you’re giving more repetition, it is how you use your body to get that revolution,” says Raju.
