"This courage came from my upbringing" - Washington Sundar recalls father's message that helped him during IPL debut

India and Gujarat Titans (GT) all-rounder Washington Sundar recalled a message from his father that helped him during his IPL debut. He began his journey in the league with the now-defunct Rising Pune Supergiant in 2017.

Interestingly, Washington Sundar was not picked by them at the auction but joined the team later on as a replacement player for Ravichandran Ashwin. He revealed that his father had taught him to be courageous right from his childhood, which helped him in the future and even during his IPL debut.

"I went as a replacement. I joined the team after 3-4 games. Then, they let me play immediately. That was a great opportunity and blessing. But, this courage I would say, came from my upbringing. That's one thing I have always been asked to do, right from very young. Whatever I do, I have to do it with courage. My father has always brought me up in a way that I should be tough no matter what," he said in an episode on 'Cheeky Cheeka'.

The all-rounder also narrated the backstory of how he was called up by the team's assistant coach after his impressive performances in the domestic season before the 2017 IPL.

"That year, before IPL, we won Vijay Hazare and Deodhar Trophy. I bowled well in those two tournaments. And our coach was Rishikesh Kanedkar. He was RPSG's assistant coach. So, as soon as the tournament was over, I used to be at home. Suddenly, one day, he called me. I think it was Ashwin (who was injured). He said they're looking for a replacement. You come here. He called me and another person. I bowled for two days. They were happy. After that, I was with the team. Obviously, after two or three matches, I joined the team's squad. It was a great story. Everything went well. And for me, I was able to play cricket and learn a lot," he added.

Washington Sundar made his IPL debut under the leadership of Steve Smith and the presence of legendary Indian captain MS Dhoni in the team. They made the final that season but lost to the Mumbai Indians (MI) by one run.

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Washington Sundar opens up on faith shown in him by MS Dhoni and Steve Smith

Washington Sundar opened up on the faith MS Dhoni and Steve Smith showed in him during his debut IPL season. He played 11 matches that year and picked up eight wickets at an average of 23.12 and an economy rate of 6.16.

"He used to say, if you do this you'll I'll see success. That was literally the case. (MS) That was the case the whole season. Smith also had a lot of confidence in me. He gave me a lot of bowling in powerplay. The way he looked at me, I liked it a lot. He genuinely believed in me," he said. (via the aforementioned source)

Overall, Washington Sundar has played 66 IPL matches so far. He has picked up 39 wickets at an average of 36.82 and an economy rate of 7.69. With the bat, he has scored 511 runs.

Apart from Rising Pune Supergiant, he has played for the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB), SunRisers Hyderabad (SRH), and is currently with GT.