Not many cricketers get to wear as many hats as Washington Sundar does for India, and he would not want it any other way. The 26-year-old all-rounder has become one of the few multi-format fixtures in India’s set-up, and he says it is the constant sharpening of his game that lets him slot into whatever role the team needs, whenever it needs it.
According to a fresh interview with the ICC, Sundar reflected on his part in India’s six-wicket win over England in the first ODI at Edgbaston on Tuesday, a result that finally got India’s UK summer moving after defeats to Ireland and England in the T20I series. “The fact that I play different roles is exciting. Not many people get to play different roles. I get to play those different roles and be in different situations, and obviously try my best to help the team win,” Sundar said. His unbeaten 52, added to an unbroken fifth-wicket stand of 102 with Axar Patel, dragged India home after England had been bowled out for 258. For a fan base that endured a miserable start to the tour, that stand felt like the moment the trip finally turned.
Yet, looking deeper into Sundar’s comments, there is more here than one good day with the bat. He used the interview to hand out credit across the dressing room, and to lay out exactly why India believe they have the tools to win the series in Cardiff on Thursday.
Sundar Salutes Gurnoor Brar’s Character
India’s new-ball plans took a hit when Gurnoor Brar leaked 17 runs in his opening over, only for the left-armer to strike twice in the same spell and remove both Ben Duckett and Jacob Bethell as England slipped from 61 without loss to 80 for 5. Sundar, who held the diving catch to send Bethell back, was effusive about the seamer afterwards. “With Gurnoor, you can always expect character. I’ve been seeing him closely in the last couple of years, even with GT (Gujarat Titans in the IPL). No matter what, he runs in hard every single ball,” Sundar said, adding that Brar’s habits away from the cameras, in practice and even when out of the side, explain why he keeps delivering when it matters.
Brar finished with two wickets to go with Axar Patel’s career-best 4 for 62, the spinner’s all-round display already covered in depth on ReadCricket after Axar Patel won India the ODI series opener. Sundar was quick to point out that Shubman Gill’s start with the bat, and Shreyas Iyer’s support in the middle order, had made the platform for Axar and himself to finish the job on what he called “a tricky wicket.”
Why The All-Rounder Balance Matters For The Cardiff Decider
With the series poised at 1-0 and the second ODI at Sophia Gardens on Thursday, Sundar’s broader point was about depth rather than any single performance. “It is a blessing for me to be an all-rounder. Any team would love to have as many all-rounders as possible because you can play according to the conditions and it is always nice to have different varieties,” he said, noting that India’s heavy international schedule across wildly different conditions makes that flexibility close to essential.
It is a theme that dovetails with how India restricted England to 258 in the first place, a bowling effort built on options rather than out-and-out pace, and one England will have to find a way to counter again in Cardiff. India go into the second ODI full of confidence after a series opener that also saw Josh Tongue handed his maiden ODI cap for the hosts.
The message from the India camp heading to Wales is clear: the balance struck by Sundar, Axar and the seam attack at Edgbaston is not a one-off, and Shubman Gill’s side will look to use it to push the series out of England’s reach on Thursday.
