Having stayed back in Australia as a net bowler after the conclusion of the ODI series, never in his wildest dream did Washington Sundar think of making his Test debut at the Gabba in the fourth Test of the 2020-21 Border-Gavaskar series. He replaced another established all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja, who was out of the Test due to a dislocated finger.
Washington Sundar made the best use of the opportunity and showed the world his all-round capabilities in the important game. Besides picking 4 wickets with the ball, he scored a crucial 62 in the first innings of the Test. However, his 29-ball 22-run knock in the second innings will go down as one of the most significant knocks of his Test career.
Chasing a mammoth 328-run total in the fourth innings, Washington Sundar put together a match-winning 53-run stand with Rishabh Pant for the sixth wicket, helping India emerge victorious in the final Test and thereby take the series 2-1.
In a recent conversation with Times of India, Washington Sundar’s father expressed his delight over his son’s Test debut and how well he batted at The Gabba.
“We are extremely happy as a family. I am not surprised that he has batted so well. I have seen him play like this many times. The fact that he has done it on a big stage is a big thing,” M Sundar, Washington’s father and coach told TOI.
Just like many others, Sundar’s father had thought that India won’t be able to chase the daunting total on the fifth day of the Test. However, his son was adamant that India would go for a win and thereby win the Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2020-21.
“At the end of Day 4, I was telling him that it will be difficult for the team to score more than 300 runs on the final day. But he was adamant that India will push for a win. He kept saying that they are going to win. He and the team seemed to have that belief,” Sundar said, before adding, “He loves biryani and chakkara pongal (South Indian delicacy). We will have plenty of that prepared for him when he returns home.”
