Birthday special: Washington Sundar – Talented all-rounder marred by injuries

A young player from Tamil Nadu with a dream of becoming a top batsman goes on to make his name as a spinner. That story sounds familiar, doesn’t it? While many would guess Ravichandran Ashwin, which is not wrong technically, this story is actually of Washington Sundar. Washington Sundar showed some potential when he made his way into the Indian T20I squad.

He earned himself a place in the national side after some brilliant performances at the IPL and in the domestic arena. After a series of impressive performances, the spin-bowling all-rounder went on to make his place in the ODI and Test squad too, but little did he know about the injuries that had been waiting to knock on the doors of his career.

Sundar came to recognition during the 2016 under-19 World Cup, which helped him find a place at the 2017 IPL, where he represented the Rising Pune Supergiants, playing alongside one of the finest players to have graced the field of cricket- Mahendra Singh Dhoni. Sundar then moved to the Royal Challengers Bangalore before finally becoming a regular figure for the Sunrisers Hyderabad.

He showcased his best while representing the Hyderabad-based franchise, and what followed next was an ODI and Test call-up. Sundar emerged as the next big thing in the Indian team when he showed his brilliance in the historic Test match against Australia, in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy. The Indian side had fallen short of experienced players, and a bunch of young faces helped India win the series, and Sundar was one of those young faces.

He missed some of the IPL games, missed out County games while playing for Lancashire, and also missed the India tour of Zimbabwe among other games, all due to various injuries. It has not just affected his fitness, but will also create a severe impact on his form when he gets back into the game after such a long break.

Washington Sundar has grown from a spinner to an all-rounder, thanks to his abilities with the bat down the order as he was successful in getting his teams the crucial runs towards the end. But in recent times, he has been out of the national side courtesy of his injuries.

His tryst with injuries has been a concern not just for him, but also for the teams as they miss the services of a wonderful player. As the youngster turns 23, the cricketing fraternity wishes for him to come back stronger than before, and contribute to the national side in the best way possible.