India vs Sri Lanka: Washington Sundar says he has game to play for national side

Mohali: All of 18 Washington Sundar says an unflinching belief in his game has helped him break into the Indian team. Not so long ago Sundar flunked the Yo-Yo test which has to be cleared to make the national team but he worked hard on his fitness to convince the selectors. For any cricketer playing for India is the ultimate dream. As an 18-year-old I have got the opportunity to play for India and it is a great feeling. I trust a lot in my preparation and it has paid off. India s Washington Sundar during a practice session on the eve of the second ODI match against Sri Lanka. PTI Sundar first made the T20 team for the upcoming T20 series against Sri Lanka before being named as a last-minute replacement for the injured Kedar Jadhav in the ongoing ODIs. Sundar who bowls off-spin and bats left-handed is unlikely to get a game in the series but is relishing his time in the Indian dressing room. It has been my fourth day to be precise but I do not feel that I just became part of the team. I knew a lot of players before have played with Mahi bhai (Dhoni) in the IPL. They all made me feel at home said Sundar ahead of the second ODI against Sri Lanka on Wednesday. Though he failed the fitness test Sundar said he always believed in his ability. What if he is just 18. Sundar attracted attention with his performances in the IPL helping Pune Supergiants reach the final. But it was not enough to play for India so he worked harder on all aspects of his game. I went back prepared a lot trained a lot of aspects where I needed to. It paid off. I started bowling more and spent extra time on my batting. And fitness also as you know it has become a very important aspect of this Indian team said the Tamil Nadu all-rounder who made his first-class debut last year before playing his first List A game this March. Talking about his potential role in the Indian team Sundar knows he has to perform both with bat and ball whenever he gets an opportunity. I would definitely have to be ready to bowl 10 overs of off-spin and contribute with the bat no matter what position the team is in. Named as Jadhav s replacement Sundar joined the team in Dharamsala where the batting failed miserably in pace-friendly conditions. It is not as cold here in Mohali but cold enough for the ball to do a bit. It rained heavily yesterday bringing the extra chill in the air as the groundstaff covered the entire field of play. Barring Dhoni the Indian batsmen were all at sea against the moving ball in Dharamsala but Sundar said such kind of surfaces are elsewhere too in the country. You do see a lot of wickets like that. In a domestic season you get to play two games on tracks similar to Dharamsala. The way Mahi bhai batted was great he went on the counter-attack. Another 60-70 runs would have made a lot of difference said Sundar. Published Date: Dec 12 2017 08:27 pm | Updated Date: Dec 12 2017 08:27 pm Tags : #Cricket #India vs sri lanka #India vs sri lanka 2017 #Indian national cricket team #Indian premier league #Ipl #Kedar jadhav #Mahendra singh dhoni #Ms dhoni #Rising pune supergiant #Sri lankan national cricket team #Washington sundar Team India is for a change not in the limelight as far as cricket is concerned. Captain Virat Kohli and long-time girlfriend Anushka Sharma got married in Italy on Monday and the entire attention of cricket fans the media and everyone else is by an large focused on that. That leaves the side in a relatively unfamiliar situation of preparing for a must-win match as they take on Sri Lanka in the 2nd ODI of the three-match series at the Punjab Cricket Association (PCA) Stadium in Mohali today. The humiliating loss in the 1st ODI in Dharamsala was not just a danger signal for the series but also raises questions about the series in South Africa where the conditions won t be great for the batsmen. (LIVE SCORECARD) Mohali won t be as cold as Dharamsala but the pacers should come into play considering it is another 11:30 a.m. start to the day-night affair. In that case it will be another test for the Indian batsmen if the home team happens to bat first in a must-win contest. Barring old war-horse MS Dhoni the highly-rated batsmen seemed like sitting ducks every time Suranga Lakmal pitched the ball up in the off-stump corridor. After the experienced Rohit Sharma and Shikhar Dhawan fell early it was an ideal opportunity for the likes of Shreyas Iyer Dinesh Karthik and Manish Pandey to weather the initial storm and make a big score. However they all came a cropper and if it was not for Dhoni s fighting 65 India could well be out for their lowest ever total. If it was one person who would be gutted looking at his teams performance it would be Kohli who opted out of the series to get married to Anushka in Italy. Live Updates between India vs Sri Lanka 2nd ODI straight from Mohali Punjab 11:52 IST: Four! Short and wide from Lakmal Dhawan stretches his hands and smashes the ball through the covers. 11:47 IST: Four! Rohit takes a couple of steps down the wicket and crashes Lakmal on the up for his first boundary of the innings. 11:45 IST: Rohit Sharma and Shikhar Dhawan are looking solid out in the middle. Good defensive technique and very good running between the wickets. 11:40 IST: India 6/0 after 2 overs. (Rohit 0 Dhawan 6 ) 11:36 IST: Four! Full length delivery from Lakmal Dhawan drives it beautifully through covers. Dhawan is in a mood to make amends. 11:35 IST: Maiden over for Mathews to start with. India will be careful before they change gears. 11:32 IST: First ball good length delivery from Mathews a little hint of movement Rohit throws his bat at the ball but gets beaten for pace. 11:31 IST: Rohit Sharma and Shikhar Dhawan opening the batting for India. Angelo Mathews starting the proceedings for Sri Lanka. 11:30 IST: Alright then! Game time. 11:25 IST: Both teams are on the ground for their respective national anthems. It is a huge game for India as they will look to bounce back from the shock loss they suffered in the first match. Rohit Sharma and team will look to make amends when they come out to bat. 11:23 IST: Washington Sundar is the seventh youngest India debutante. 11:20 IST: Here is how MS Dhoni comfortably beat young Hardik Pandya in a 100 metre dash. A quick 100 metre dash between @msdhoni and @hardikpandya7. Any guesses on who won it in the end? #TeamIndia #INDvSL pic.twitter.com/HpboL6VFa6 BCCI (@BCCI) December 13 2017 11:14 IST: Team India playing XI: Sri Lanka have won the toss and will bowl first. Sri Lanka are unchanged India get in Washington Sundar in place of Kuldeep Yadav #TeamIndia #INDvSL pic.twitter.com/BqfYy4RJ4Y BCCI (@BCCI) December 13 2017 11:12 IST: While Sri Lanka is playing with an unchanged side Washington Sundar makes his debut for India. We have a new kid on the block. Washington Sundar is all set to make his ODI debut here in Mohali #TeamIndia #INDvSL pic.twitter.com/VxquVkgSIa BCCI (@BCCI) December 13 2017 11:00 IST: Sri Lanka captain Thisara Perera wins toss elects to field against India at Mohali. 10:55 IST: Hello and welcome to the live blog of the match between India and Sri Lanka straight from Punjab. Rohit leading the side in Kohli s absence was not amused either in his first ODI as captain. Though he promised that the team will learn from Dharamsala debacle and bounce back in the remaining two games. It is important to thrive in these conditions and come out good. It is an eye-opener for all of us Rohit had said after the seven-wicket loss. He is unlikely to tinker with the playing eleven but there is a possibility that Ajinkya Rahane is picked to shore up the inexperienced batting especially the middle-order. 17:05 (IST) Can Kohli score a double century? Will Rohit Sharma gets more runs under his belt before the South Africa tour? How will the Indian lower middle-order bat? Can Sri Lanka bounce back? A lot of questions ahead of Day 2. Join us tomorrow to find out the answers. Till then it s goodbye! Full Scorecard NEW DELHI: After months of speculations and weeks of making headlines on a daily basis Indian cricket team captain Virat Kohli tied the knot with Bollywood actress and long time girlfriend Anushka Sharma in Milan Italy today. The couple took to Twitter to confirm their wedding. Today we have promised each other to be bound in love for ever. We are truly blessed to share the news with you.Thi... https://t.co/dMmHk8NibG Virat Kohli (@imVkohli) 1513005701000 Today we have promised each other to be bound in love forever. We are truly blessed to share the news with you. Thi... https://t.co/g4QLeSQEOW Anushka Sharma (@AnushkaSharma) 1513005702000 Anushka Sharma and Virat Kohli got married at a private ceremony in Italy today. The wedding was attended by close family and a few friends as they wished their wedding to be a very private affair spokesperson of Kohli and Anushka said. The spokesperson further revealed that the couple will be hosting a reception in New Delhi for their relatives on 21st December which will be followed by a reception for industry friends and cricketers in Mumbai on 26th December. The newly-wed couple will travel to South Africa where Virat will start prepping for upcoming series and Anushka will spend New Year s Eve with him and return in first week of January to begin next schedule of a film with Shah Rukh Khan in Mumbai. Rumours started swirling when Kohli pulled out of India s limited-overs matches against Sri Lanka and Sharma also ducked out of her busy acting schedule in December. The celebrity couple and their families have flown out of India for the week-long celebrations. The Indian captain has said he needed to rest because of his massive workload ahead of the national side s tour of South Africa in January. Kohli and Sharma both 29 started dating in 2013 after they met during the filming of a shampoo advert. The high-profile couple made their first public appearance a year later during a football match. Kohli is one of the world s highest-paid athletes and a huge star in cricket-crazy India and Sharma is one of the top actresses in the multi-billion-dollar Indian film industry. The duo will be the latest in a list of Bollywood-cricket weddings. From former India captain Mansur Ali Khan Pataudi and actress Sharmila Tagore to the recent Zaheer Khan-Sagarika Ghatge union India has a long history of marriages between cricket players and movie stars. (With AFP inputs) Also read: Sportspersons wish Virat Kohli and Anushka Sharma on their new innings It s the third ball of the sixth over Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) captain Gautam Gambhir has just started to break free. He lofts one over extra cover for four off Washington Sundar. And then goes one step ahead and lofts him for six over long on by charging down the track. For an 17-year-old off-spinner bowling in the powerplay there might be a thousand things fluttering inside the mind. What now? What should be my next step? How do I stop him? However it s not the case with Washington. He trundles in the next ball gives it extra flight and pitches it full outside off; Gambhir goes for a swipe across the line doesn t get the desired connection and holes out to deep mid-wicket. The battle is won in the simplest of ways. M Sundar Washington s father fondly recalls that short battle at the Eden Gardens in the 2017 edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) as our chat veers from his son s early days towards his biggest strength. His mind (is his biggest strength). He is fearless Sundar senior tells Firstpost. If somebody is bowling at him at 148 Kmph or 150 on a wicket like Perth or in South Africa he won t show any fear. He is a fearless boy with intelligence. I saw this boy having special talent at the age of six so I decided to keep studies as the second option. : M Sundar. Sportzpics Washington ended as the second-most economical bowler behind Pawan Negi (for bowlers who have bowled 30 overs or more) in his debut season in the IPL with an economy rate of 6.16. However the one thing that stood out was his fearless bowling in the Powerplay. I do a lot of homework for sure looking at different batsmen. I plan different things for different batsmen Washington told Firstpost before getting the national call-up. For me to execute them in the match is very important and I should be really prepared to execute them under pressure playing in front of big crowds against the likes of Pollard Warner Buttler or McCullum. Just by looking at the guy who is 17 they would want to put the pressure on you straightaway. Bowling against these guys was a big challenge and I was able to hold my nerve. People like Mahi bhai (MS Dhoni) and (Steven) Smith helped me a lot to stay in the present and made sure I know what to do. It was Rising Pune Supergiant (RPS) coach Stephen Fleming s idea of unleashing Washington in the first six overs since they were up against Sunrisers Hyderabad which comprised of three left-handers David Warner Shikhar Dhawan and Yuvraj Singh in their top order. It would prove to be a masterstroke. During the IPL he was asked whether he would be comfortable bowling in first six overs and there was no hesitation on his part recalls Hrishikesh Kanitkar assistant coach of Rising Pune Supergiants. He just said yes for sure and the way he said it was as if he had been bowling in the first six overs throughout his life and was like his fifth or sixth year of the IPL. It was very normal like okay fine. So he was up to it. While there was a steady progression in his junior career it was since the IPL that the 17-year-old started taking giant strides. In the Tamil Nadu Premier League (TNPL) post IPL he ended up as the highest run-getter (459 runs at 76.50 and SR of 154.54) and second-highest wicket-taker (15 wickets at 12.73 and an ER of 6.16). Success followed him in the Duleep Trophy where he scalped 11 wickets and scored 130 runs on debut. A month later he conjured figures of 8-1-23-2 when almost every other bowler was hammered around the MA Chidambaram stadium in the tour match against Australia. A maiden first-class hundred followed in the 2017-18 Ranji Trophy. Washington was hitting all the right notes which the selectors couldn t ignore. In January this year he was dropped from the Tamil Nadu T20 side for the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy but eleven months later he got a maiden national call-up for One-Day Internationals (ODI) and Twenty20 (T20)side. As a six-year-old Washington would accompany his father a Tamil Nadu Ranji probable from 1993 to 1996 and a first division cricketer during matches to watch him play. Sundar Senior would utilise the little time in between sessions to feed tennis balls to Washington who loved hitting them around. Slowly Washington s interest in the game increased and soon he fell deeply in love with the game. Sundar spotted the spark very early and his son soon started juggling between school and practice sessions. However with Sundar Washington s top priority was never in doubt. I saw this boy having special talent at the age of six so I decided to keep studies as the second option says Sundar. He started hitting the ball with a beautiful swing and hand-eye co-ordination. He had the ability to play straight naturally. Normally when you bowl underarm to kids they play towards mid-wicket or square leg. But Washi used to play very straight. That impressed me. Sometimes when I bowled underarm with padding and all (for him) he wouldn t accept it. He would say father bowl at whatever speed you can. Then I used to bowl medium pace. Soon Sundar who was inspired by former colleague and teammate WV Raman modelled Washington s stance on the former India batsman. A home-run academy meant that Washington was never short of training space. Not just the batting work on all-round development had started by the age of 10. One thing my dad made sure was that he didn t want me to stand still after I finished my batting Washington recalls. He wanted me to try things bowl off-spin leg-spin medium-pace and keep wickets. By the time I was in sixth standard I was able to do everything so I had options of doing different things for different teams that I played. After impressive performances playing for the U-16s Washington was selected for the National Cricket Academy (NCA) camp the same year where under the tutelage of bowling coach D Vasu his bowling took wing. It was Vasu Sundar and former Tamil Nadu cricketer M Venkataramana s combined efforts that shaped Washington the bowler. The 17-year-old s gallant display in powerplays during the IPL was a result of Sundar s vision and systematic training at a very young age. As the coach of his academy Sundar had started moulding Washington for the toughest of scenarios. He had natural loop and off-spinner s arc at that time he was very short. In 30-over academy matches in Chennai I used to make him bowl the last three overs 26 28 and 30 always Sundar says. He used to give less than 10 runs in last three overs in U-14 tournaments and bowled without any fear as a 10-year-old. From 12 onwards he started bowling with the new ball first third and fifth overs. 99 percent of the time his first over would be a maiden or just one or two runs would be scored. Sometimes he used to get 2-3 wickets in the first over itself. He used to bowl with two slips and all. Nerves of steel were forged at a very young age which started paying dividends on the bigger stage. He (my father) always wants me to play with guts and insists on this day in and day out Washington said. He wants me to be someone who is cool and calm under difficult situations. He s moulded me this way. It helped me a lot especially in the IPL. When I was given the ball in my debut game against the Sunrisers I was up against David Warner and there was definitely a lot of pressure especially for someone who is 17. But I did manage to hold my nerve because of the learning imparted by my father. At the age of 12 Washington amassed 596 runs and taken 33 wickets from 11 games in a local division league playing with players twice or thrice his age that was the time he realised he could make a career out of cricket. The hard work had doubled by now which resulted in Washington s steady rise through the junior ranks. By 16 he had made it to the India U-19 squad. A glimpse of his talent was on display in the 2016 U-19 World Cup where he consistently bowled frugal spells which included valiant figures of 9-1-18-0 in the final against West Indies. This was the first step towards entering the limelight. A maiden first-class call-up was not far away. Every journey at some point gets punctuated by a bumpy ride. At the start of 2017 Washington was left with a lot of soul searching to do. The 17-year-old was dropped from the Tamil Nadu T20 side for the Syed Mushtaq Ali tournament on the back of a difficult maiden Ranji season. It did hurt but in turn instilled extra motivation which translated into success in the Vijay Hazare and Deodhar Trophies where he played a crucial role in helping his side clinch both the trophies. In the one-and-a-half months before Vijay Hazare Trophy I worked really hard on all aspects. I used to come to the ground for both the sessions Washington said. I never used to take a day off and made sure I batted bowled and trained well. I wasn t expecting too many things just wanted to get better and fitter as a player and those things paid off. This is where it all started to turn around for the youngster. Having followed Washington s development closely at Tamil Nadu Hrishikesh Kanitkar suggested Washington s name to RPS management when Ravichandran Ashwin pulled out of the 2017 IPL due to injury. Washington Sundar poses with Steve Smith after receiving Man of the Match award in the 2017 IPL Qualifier-1. Sportzpics I had no doubt in suggesting Washi s name because one thing I knew for sure is that he doesn t get fazed by situations or opponents Kanitkar explains. I knew that even if he was up against experienced and very good batsmen in the IPL he would bowl the way he bowls. With Washi what you see is what you get. Heading into the league Washington had just one aim learn as much as possible. The IPL invariably proved to be the turning point. When I went to the IPL I was in a very good frame of mind and rhythm. All I had to do was to hold my nerve and be very very focused because I was aware that those 45 days can change my life. But I didn t put too much pressure (on myself). I was just 17 and wanted to enjoy the game he says. I gained a lot of experience as well. Bowling against some of the stars did give me massive confidence and made me believe in what I am able to do and what I am capable of doing. With consistent performances the path seemed clear for a national call-up but there had to be another twist in the tale. Washington flunked the Yo-Yo Test and missed out on the bus for the Australia T20 series in October. We were a little bit surprised because we all thought that a score of 16.1 was not that difficult for someone who was playing regularly says Kanitkar. But what we realised was that he had just played a Duleep Trophy game in which he had bowled a lot of overs was on the field all the time and batted for long periods as well. And to immediately travel after that for a fitness test was a little unfair. Also he had some hamstring tightness at that time. Apart from that there was no reason why he won t be able to pull through. With Washington there was the inevitable strong response. He stepped up the hard work. Determination coupled with a fresh mind and constant motivation from Kanitkar and Sundar helped him clear the test which paved the way for Sri Lanka T20 series selection. Talk to Washington and the first thing that strikes the mind is his simplicity. The word bhaiya (brother) is often repeated while he talks in a soft and apologetic tone. It is this simplicity that rubs off on his game as well. He doesn t like to complicate things and more importantly he is very clear in his mind. The Tamil Nadu all-rounder s secret of success against Australia where he got Steven Smith and Glenn Maxwell in the tour game was pretty simple I was just trying to hit the right areas. Because there was something in the wicket I knew I would be able to get some purchase and bowl a good spell at the end of the day. I just tried concentrating doing the right things he recalls. People like Mahi bhai and Smith helped me a lot to stay in the present and made sure I know what to do. : Washington I try to quiz him further. And what happens when his plans go wrong? Definitely I will have to go back to my run-up and again try to do the same thing. Or again try to not bowl in the area where he is expecting me to bowl. Everyone gets hit but it s how you come back that makes a huge difference. Even if you have been hit for a six and have given 10 runs in four-five balls it matters how you manage to give just a single and finish the over with 11 runs instead of giving another six or four and making it 16-18 runs which will make a lot of difference Sundar explains. The clarity in thought is palpable. Apart from his hard work and fearlessness it s his uncluttered mind that stands out. He (Washington) is someone who is very keen to learn a very simple person. He likes to keep everything simple. He works on his game and wants to get better Kanitkar says. If you see all the IPL games and even the Deodhar and Vijay Hazare trophies when a batsman has got the better of him Washington has been unfazed. What usually happens is that when a batsman steps out and hits you for a boundary or a six the bowler invariably tends to drop it short (next ball) because he expects the batsman to step up and hit again but with Washington he knows what he wants to bowl and he will trust his ability that s something that s he s got which is special. According to Sundar this quality is innate and he draws a really interesting parallel. My mentor and godfather PD Washington used to be like that. Most of his habits mental aspects are available in my son Washington. PD Washington was very simple natural helpful and very honest Washi is having all these qualities by God s grace. A national call-up at such a young age doesn t surprise Sundar. In fact he feels it s a bit late as it should have come at 16 which in itself speaks volumes of how highly he rates his son. At 18 Washington will soon enter the most crucial phase of his life. How will he respond to this challenge? Well with Washington it has to be very simple. Whatever comes I should be ready. Whatever it may be. I don t really want to expect too much. I just want to wake up every day practice work hard and get better so whenever my turn comes wherever it might be I should be ready Washington signs off in a typical Washington way. Note: Washington spoke to Firstpost before he got selected for India ODI and T20Is Published Date: Dec 12 2017 08:50 am | Updated Date: Dec 12 2017 09:12 pm Tags : #Gautam gambhir #Hrishikesh kanitkar #India #Indian premier league #Ip #Ipl 2017 #Rising pune supergiant #Sri lanka #Sri lanka in india 2017 #Tamil nadu #Washington sundar