Washington Sundar: India’s best white ball all-rounder

The 22-year-old returned to play three ODIs against the West Indies that preceded the T20I series. (Washington Sundar/Twitter)

Cricket runs deep in Washington’s family. His father M Sundar narrowly missed out on a Ranji cap, and today apart from Washington his daughter Shylaja is also part of the Tamil Nadu team. Named after an ex-Service man who supported his father financially during his cricketing years, Washington is at a stage of his career, where he could play a huge role in India bringing home its third 50-over World Cup title next year.

In a team that is short on batsmen who can bowl, Washington fits the bill in many ways. Apart from being a reliable off-spinner, who can even be counted to bowl in the powerplay, his batting credentials are second to none. For a team that likes floaters, Washington is tailor-made. He can bat anywhere in the top order by bringing in assurance and can even be the link-up between the middle-order and lower order. It is an aspect that Washington has been focussing on off late as in a crowded top-order he may get an opening only in the lower-order.

M Senthilnathan, the head coach at MRF Pace Foundation, has played an integral role in Washington’s rise. India’s first captain in the inaugural Under-19 World Cup in 1988, Senthilnathan first saw Washington as a 12-year-old. “Sundar and myself played cricket together and he wanted us to take a look at his kid. And I made him around 10 deliveries, but by the second or third delivery only I knew this kid had the potential to go a long way. He was handling boys much senior to him and their pace with ease. He wasn’t afraid or showed anything… that itself showed his resolve,” Senthilnathan recalled.

Washington missed out on the T20 World Cup but Ravichandran Ashwin’s underwhelming show in white-ball games and subsequent ouster brought him back in the mix as he made his international return with 3/30 against West Indies in first ODI. (Twitter/Washington Sundar)

In the Tamil Nadu cricket circles, Washington has always looked more like a batsman than a spinner. Of course, these days he has evolved into an all-rounder, but all said and done, batting still remains his primary skill and one that is underutilized. After his heroic efforts at the Gabba, Shastri wanted Tamil Nadu to make Washington bat in the top order. But to date, that hasn’t happened. The left-hander, who has grown up at the pace foundation facing numerous quicks and is slotted in the middle-order and in the ongoing Ranji Trophy has come in only at No 5 in the three innings he has batted.

With India having a crowded batting line-up, in the ODI scheme of things Washington will be used mostly as a spin-bowling all-rounder, his role with the bat would be to look for some quick runs in the end. During the New Zealand tour, he made an impressive unbeaten 37 and 51, showing he can adapt to the role as well. With the World Cup in India, and the team looking at six bowling options as well as depth in batting, Washington would be more utilised in the end. The World Cup is scheduled for the months of October-November, a period where dew is going to have a huge effect on sides bowling second, and could make wrist-spinners ineffective. In that sense, alongside Ravindra Jadeja, Washington would be more than just a useful player.

The left-handed batsman off-late has been concentrating on the power-hitting aspect. Although it hasn’t been his natural suit, Washington has always been a solid timer than one relies on power, it has become a necessity. “He is slowly getting the idea as to what he has to do with the bat. He is only 23 and you are sending him with three overs to go and asking him to hit, hit.. where is the question of hitting? You will only try to hold that bat harder and try to hit the ball rather than timing it and using the pace of the ball. These things come with experience,” Senthilnathan said.

Washington Sundar celebrates the dismissal of Australia’s Steve Smith. (AP)

Which is why giving Washington as many games as possible in his new role is crucial. Although he may not bring out as much power-hitting as Hardik Pandya in the end, Washington is very much capable of using the pace. These days he is even exploring different parts of the field, which would give him more options to play shots. But before all of it, there is one other thing he has to focus on: his fitness.

Since making his debut in 2017, Washington has missed three of the World Cups that have followed. For the 2021 T20 World Cup in the UAE, India under Shastri-Virat Kohli had huge plans for Washington, especially with the ball before a finger injury he sustained ruled him out of it. Then included for the tour of South Africa, he missed it after contracting Covid. He returned for the ODIs against West Indies before missing the T20Is with a hamstring. He came back fit for the IPL, but only to split his webbing and miss five matches. With very little game time due to different injuries, the Indian team management and the NCA sent him to Lancashire, even forcing TNCA to release him from the TNPL. After three good outings in the County Championship, he picked up a shoulder injury in the 50-overs game, which ruled him out of the Zimbabwe tour. And he returned to the national fold just before the T20 World Cup in the ODIs against South Africa.

To say this phase has tested Washington massively would be an understatement. Injury, rehab, playing, repeat. It is as if Washington has been on some sort of time loop, but it is a period where he has worked incredibly hard on his fitness. “He was chumma, chumma (just like that) getting injured. It was a mental agony, Sir,” Washington’s father Sundar said. “The whole family didn’t know what was happening because each time he recovered, there was a new setback. But we didn’t lose hope, we kept working even hard. That was the period where he realised he needed to be bold. He has always been strong mentally, so he was able to come through it. And moreover, the NCA took good care of him during that phase. They are one of the reasons why he has come back fully fit,” Sundar said.

Washington Sundar of Royal Challengers Bangalore. ( BCCI/IPL)

The end result of it is Washington understands his body well and has fully adapted to the diet chart prepared at the NCA. As the 23-year-old turned up for the Tamil Nadu Cricket Association annual awards function in November, some of the present and former cricketers were surprised to see his thin frame.

Sundar, though, isn’t impressed with that bit alone. From taking a lot of paneer, chicken, finger millet, pearl millet in his developmental years to running on the beach to improve his endurance levels, Washington these days is like any other modern-day cricketer, who takes just the right amount of carbs, proteins and fat. “Sweet ah iruku nu Tirupati ladoo kooda sapada matran Sir (He is not even taking Tirupati Prasad saying it has sugar),” is how Sundar responds about his son’s fitness diet.

“He shouldn’t be losing so much weight and look so thin. I don’t agree with it. When I see him on television, I find him so lean… it is not enough. He needs to be a little stronger. I feel he isn’t strong… he has to put a lot more muscle in his shoulders, back and arms. He is not concentrating on that aspect alone,” Sundar said.

There is a reason why Sundar feels Washington isn’t strong. For a player who wants to be in all formats, and given the demands of the modern game where power has become a non-negotiable part, Sundar feels there is a chance Washington might miss out if he doesn’t focus on his fitness aspect. As much as a concern, there is fear of missing out as well in Sundar’s voice.

“Do you remember Alavandhan movie? Kamal Hasan worked so hard to look like a hulk. If he can do so much for a character in a movie, to play all formats, you need to put in as much work because you are playing lot of cricket these days. Just like agility, speed, strength is also a must. Look at Suryakumar Yadav, even a mis-hit carries for a six. If he gains some strength, he won’t get injured. Power iruntha thana power hitting varum? (how will you play power-hitting without power?),” Sundar said.