“Did someone forget to tell him that T20s are over?” Indian fans react on twitter as Washington Sundar smashed the New Zealand attack in the first ODI at Eden Park

Washington Sundar has generally been known for his off-spin bowling in international cricket, but in the first ODI against New Zealand at Eden Park today, he showed that he was more than capable with the bat too if he gets the opportunity.

Although Washington Sundar is a top-order batsman in domestic cricket, he often has to bat at no. 7 when he plays T20I or ODI cricket for India. That’s not the position suited for his game because his game is based on touch play, but today while batting in the latter stages of the innings against the Kiwis, Sundar showed the powerplay side of his game as well.

When Sundar came out to bat today, India was not in a bad position, but they were in a position where they might have fallen short of 300. Sundar, however, attacked the New Zealand attack straightaway, and with an array of strokes to all parts of the ground, the left-hander made sure India crossed the mark of 300.

Washington Sundar couldn’t score his first ODI half-century but played a very impactful knock

Although Sundar couldn’t achieve his personal milestone of 50, his 37 off 16 might prove to be game-defining for India in the end. Apart from Sundar, the other Indian batsmen who made significant contributions were the top 3 players in the batting order – Shikhar Dhawan, Shubman Gill, and Shreyas Iyer, all of whom scored half-centuries.

India was playing in this series in the absence of their senior players again and the second-string side again grabbed the opportunity with both hands, as they played very competitive cricket against a full-strength Kiwi team. They, however, still have a job to do with the ball in the second innings of the first ODI.

Here is how the Indian fans reacted on Twitter to the whole of the Indian innings and to the whirlwind knock of Washington Sundar in particular –

Washington Sundar magic with bat. pic.twitter.com/NBlnO0iBvD

— Johns. (@CricCrazyJohns) November 25, 2022

What a finish by Washington Sundar – 37* in just 16 balls with 3 fours and 3 sixes. Made a comeback after recovering from injury and made batting look so easy.

Well played, Sundar! pic.twitter.com/evayBwVq8i

— Mufaddal Vohra (@mufaddal_vohra) November 25, 2022

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What a shot from Washington Sundar. pic.twitter.com/JhjkWKoON1

— CricketMAN2 (@ImTanujSingh) November 25, 2022

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Well played, Washington Sundar. What an innings. This Indian innings has three 50+ scores but it’s Sundar’s innings that might have had the biggest impact. People who bat lower down the order mustn’t be judged with the usual parameters of ‘average’. Impact is what matters.

— Aakash Chopra (@cricketaakash) November 25, 2022

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Did someone forget to tell Washington Sundar that the T20 series was over? God damn.

— Heisenberg ☢ (@internetumpire) November 25, 2022

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