'Washi Is A Superb Batter'

'The world is yet to watch him, show his prowess as a batter, but given the chance he will do a great job.'

For the second time in his career, Washington Sundar came out of nowhere to shock the cricket world.

Initially called up as a net bowler, Sundar made a surprise debut in the series-deciding Brisbane Test in 2021. He played a pivotal role with both bat and ball, scoring a half-century and taking key wickets to help India make history by winning their second consecutive series in Australia.

However, the next couple of years proved to be really challenging as the spin all-rounder battled one injury after another.

The 25 year old made another stunning comeback against the odds. Called up for the second Test against New Zealand in Pune, the Tamil Nadu off-spinner made an immediate impact, with seven wickets in the first innings in his first Test match after a three-year gap. He went on to claim 11 wickets in Pune before claiming another five wickets in the Mumbai Test.

Despite India suffering a series whitewash at home, Sundar stood out with his splendid performances, outshining senior spinners Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja in the two Tests he played.

Life seems to have come full circle for Sundar as he embarks on his second tour of Australia, this could prove to be a defining chapter in his career.

His elder sister Shailaja Sundar expressed pride in Washington's resilience and ability to fight back from injuries and make a memorable comeback to the Indian Test team.

"More than coming back into the team, it's the kind of performances that really counts. That way, we have been very, very, proud of what Washi has achieved, Shailaja tells Rediff.com's Harish Kotian.

Tell us about Washington's dream comeback to Test cricket in Pune recently where he took 11 wickets. He went through a lot in the last three years and this memorable comeback involved a lot of hard work and tough moments.
What did it mean for him and the family?

It is very special for us, because playing Test cricket is definitely a dream for any cricketer who wants to make it big in Indian cricket and in international cricket. In that case, when Washi made his debut in (at the Gabba in Brisbane in January 2021), it was a great series for India it went really well for Washi as well.

But right after that, a series of injuries were really disappointing, and it was very difficult for him, as well as for us as the family, to see him go to such a rough patch. But we always believed that he will come back and make it come back stronger because Washi has always believed in himself and his potential, of what he what he is capable of doing.

I think that has always helped him create wonders throughout his career so far, and he has come back into the Test side after three-and-a-half years, it is amazing. And the way he has come back is all that matters.

More than coming back into the team, it's the kind of performances that really counts. That way, we have been very, very, proud of what Washi has achieved.

I think it all boils down to the kind of effort, commitment that he has been putting in irrespective of whether things are clicking for him or not. He has been very consistent, and he has been very disciplined in the way hes gone about his training, his practice sessions, and his preparations on the whole, that has really paid off.

To watch him pick up those seven wickets in the first innings in Pune was fantastic and you know, he kept at it, and he managed to pick a lot of wickets after that as well.

The last two games for Washi in particular, has been fantastic, and it's been like a dream run for him.

To watch him play like that at the top level, at the highest level, was really heartwarming. It was a matter of pride, it was so good for all of us. We were so, so happy to watch him play like that at that stage.

He was a 21 year old when he made his debut in that Brisbane Test. He played a key role in India's victory in that series deciding Test but after that life hasn't been kind to him, he went through a lot of injury setbacks, he also contracted COVID-19, he has not played many games in the IPL in the last 3-4 years.
How tough was it for him as a youngster to take so many setbacks one after the other? What would you as an elder sister, who also plays cricket, and your parents advise him?

The first big injury was in England in 2018, that ankle injury was the biggest. Initially, when he got selected to play the Test series in England, they went to Ireland to play T20s, where he got injured. For a kid (he was 18 then), to go and play in England itself was a big dream. He was literally shattered after that injury.

It was very difficult for us to see him because as an elder sister we have played a lot of cricket even on that side it was very tough for me to see him down on the bed for five weeks. But as a family we did our best to help him come out of it and make sure he was not too much bogged down by that.

He is generally a mentally strong guy. I think injury much earlier in his career has also made him a lot more stronger because certain things moulds us to be a better person, a better character.

To take it in a positive way, I would say that injury or that phase of injuries really made him more and more strong. Mentally, if you are going through one injury itself it is kind of demoralising but one after the other is you can imagine.

He used to recover from one injury and he used to get into the rehab phase and after giving the fitness test, somehow he was ending up with another injury.

So at some point, we all felt very helpless because we couldn't figure out what was happening. With respect to his fitness, he always been working really hard, and with respect to his injuries, whatever rehab that needs to be done. He has always been very disciplined about it, and whatever needs to be done he has done it all.

But then he sustained another injury, and then another injury it was kind of very disappointing. And at some point we were kind of feeling really helpless for him and it was also a bit difficult for him. But I think the way he has come out from that, the way he has worked on his mental aspects, he really believes that mind is everything.

We all know mind is everything, especially in a game of cricket, that it's a mental game, and you play more in the mind than on the field. In the mental aspect, he was worked a lot, he reads a lot of books based on mental health and mental training. He is also inclined a bit towards the spiritual side, more on meditation and all that. He really enjoys that journey as well.

All of this has helped him to make a strong comeback and perform to this extent.

He has worked on the right areas, I would say. On the physical side, he has worked on the rehab, the fitness, and he is very particular about his fitness, but on the mental side, also, he has put in an equal effort, and that is that is really helping him right now.

He seems to be a very calm guy on the field. Even though he made a dream comeback he never got carried away, he didn't celebrate wildly. His coach M Senthilnathan says he is very humble as a person, he has his feet firmly grounded.
During the COVID lockdown he actually replied to a tweet by a journalist saying if he could contribute towards helping the rickshaw pullers in Lucknow, who were going through tough times. Tell us more about Washington the person off the field.

When is at home, he is a bit more relaxed. He enjoys with my mom, pulls her leg and plays around with the pets.

He is a bit chilled, but generally, we have brought up that way that we don't react much to whatever that's happening, we try to keep it very balanced. Throughout our upbringing that has really helped.

I actually mentioned this to Washi on the evening of him picking seven wickets in Pune, I spoke to him. I was watching him, so I told him, 'You literally didn't smile until you picked 5-6 wickets. You should enjoy because you know you are doing a wonderful job, you are performing really well. You should really enjoy the moment, and just celebrate it'.

I could literally see him smiling. If you watch the highlights, you would notice him smiling after taking the sixth and seventh wicket only.

Compared to before, he has actually opened up is what I feel. Earlier, if you see, when he just came into international cricket, he used to be even more silent, he hardly even celebrated anything or any of his victory.

He is more like a very calm, composed, person. I think he does a lot of work on the inside from within. So that's how he has always been and it actually helps when it comes to the game, because even if you are really under some pressure or you are in a very tough situation, it doesn't show up on your face or our in your body language.

So that is very important thing when it comes to playing some top sides, you don't want your opponent to know what you are feeling. That way it is good.

After the Brisbane Test, then India coach Ravi Shastri has predicted Washington Sundar as a future all-rounder for India across all formats. His coach Senthilnathan also gave details on how he has worked hard on his red ball game after the IPL, the results of which were evident in the New Zealand series.
In the age of T20 cricket, Washington comes across as someone who still gives preference to Test cricket.

Absolutely! Washi has always loved playing red ball cricket and he always loved going back to Ranji Trophy and Duleep Trophy and playing a lot of domestic multi-day games. He absolutely loves red ball matches and if you see from his early career, he has always performed really well even with the bat.

Before he played for India, I actually thought he would play for India as a batter, as a batting all-rounder, but he came as a surprise, as a bowler.

From somewhere in the middle of his journey, he started working on his bowling, but earlier in his career, he did a lot of batting, he scored a lot of runs for all his teams, and for Tamil Nadu. He has won a lot of games with his bat for Tamil Nadu.

I would really love to see him perform with both the bat and the ball.

After T20 cricket has boomed so much, cricket has evolved so much, in this era of cricket, it's mandatory for a cricketer to perform in all three departments of the game.

If you are a really good all-rounder, you add so much value to the team, and that is what every team actually looks for in a player, and that's what they need.

In that way, I am very happy to see Washi perform. I would love to see Washi getting a lot more chances as a batter as well, because I have seen him like from his childhood. I have seen him the way he bats. I know how good he is as a batter, but I think the world is yet to watch him, show his prowess as a batter, but given the chance he will do a great job I am sure.

Even the Gabba Test, if you see the partnership between him and Shardul Thakur, the 100-odd (123-run) partnership (
for the seventh wicket) was crucial for us to get the match out of Australia's hands. I would say he has always been a complete all-rounder.

Did you play against each a lot in the backyard or at the local ground? And do you call him after the day's play and say 'Washi, you could have done this or well played today'?

Until he played a couple of IPLs, I think we did that. We both have played together a lot of cricket as we grew up. So we had the tendency of coming back home and discussing about the game and what we could have done, how things went that particular day, we used to do that.

But once Washi got too much into the game, like after he played a couple of seasons of IPL, he was always surrounded by cricket, like if he goes out of house, he was always with somebody who talks cricket, either his officials or his training.

It's a lot of cricket for him outside of the house also so when he comes back home, he prefers not to bring in much of cricket. It has reduced over the years, but at times, we do still discuss a lot of cricket, even during this New Zealand Test matches, we were talking here and there.

And even when I have some I have some doubts, or even if I want to know something about the game, or if I want to discuss something, he is very much open, he literally gives a really good perspective about whatever I want to discuss.

We do discuss cricket, but now it's reduced compared to how we used to be in the childhood, because he is now more into the game, so he just wants to come and unwind when he is at home.

How was it playing for him alongside India's spin great Ravichandran Ashwin, who is also his team-mate at Tamil Nadu? Does Washi talk to Ashwin about spin bowling and seek his help or tips?

It would have been a good learning experience for Washi. Like you said, they have played a lot of domestic cricket as well. But the thing is, when Washi played for the First Division league in Tamil Nadu, he was around 12, he was the youngest in the team. He joined MRF that time, he still plays for them.

He was the youngest so his team-mates and everybody around him were generally elder. So that way, he has always learned a lot from his team-mates.

He speaks to Ashwin. During the New Zealand series too, they had a lot of chats, they discussed and worked on a lot of plans because they operated from different ends. So a lot of thought goes in their bowling.

You play cricket professionally, while also doing cricket commentary and as an cricket expert for various news channels. Tell us about more your career.

I made my debut for Tamil Nadu when I was 11 years and I have been playing for Tamil Nadu since then. This year I have moved to Pondicherry.

Last year I worked for Jio Cinema in the Tamil commentary panel for the Women's Premier League. That was a new experience for me.

I have worked with media as a presenter, and I have been on a lot of shows as an expert since 2010 so I have a decent experience.

I also hosted a show for the 2019 World Cup for Sun News. I worked during the IPL, for Kaveri News Channel, for News 7 Tamil. So I have a good decent experiences with the media.

But commentary was a completely new experience, and it was fantastic. We had a lot of lot of cricketers like Anirudh Srikkanth, Abhinav Mukund, K B Arun Karthik, they really helped me a lot in the commentary panel. They literally embraced me into the team, so it was a great experience. So I really enjoy my work as a broadcaster.

How did you and Washington both get into cricket?

My father Sundar was a professional cricketer. Right now from his childhood days he has played a lot of cricket for Tamil Nadu. He was also in the Ranji Trophy probables between 1992 and 1993, so he has played alongside Krishnamachari Srikkanth, W V Raman, Laxman Sivaramakrishnan. We watched him play and that is how we both took up the game.

What is the secret behind his name Washington?

My father's mentor was Mr P D Washington. He worked in the army back then. My father comes from a very humble background and Mr Washington was his neighbour. He helped my father pursue cricket, because my father couldn't afford cricket gear and for higher education as well.

Mr Washington really supported and encouraged my father to pursue cricket and my father ended up getting a job in the income tax department through the sports quota as well. So out of gratitude, he named his son Washington. He put together Washington and Sundar, my father's name, and that's how Washington Sundar came about.