Washington Sundar opens up on his batting exploits: “I have been working on it specifically in the last one year or so”

Team India all-rounder Washington Sundar has admitted that he has been working specifically on improving his batting over the last year or so. He added that he is glad the results are coming his way.

The left-handed batter notched up his maiden T20I fifty off only 25 balls in Ranchi against New Zealand on Friday, January 27, in the first game of the three-match series. While the Men in Blue went down by 21 runs in a chase of 177, Sundar’s innings stood out as he hammered five fours and three sixes before being dismissed off the penultimate ball of the match.

In an interview with the host broadcaster ahead of the second T20I in Lucknow on Sunday, January 29, Sundar opened up on the significant improvement in his batting over the last few months. In a video uploaded on bcci.tv, he admitted:

“I have been working on it specifically in the last one year or so. I am so glad that it’s all coming at the right time and I am also sort of getting more information as I bat in such situations, especially in match scenarios.

“The ultimate thing for me is to win games for India and that’s where I want to be and that’s what I am trying to achieve also.”

Shifting the focus to his powerplay bowling, the 23-year-old explained that his game plan is to keep it simple so that he can focus on executing his skills in the right manner. Sundar elaborated:

“Definitely, there are some plans that I need to execute against different batsmen. But I would always like to keep things very simple because already there’s a lot of pressure and there’s only going to be two fielders outside. So, there’s a lot of things that going to go against you by odds.

“It is very important to focus on what you need to do at that point in time and keep things simple because you would be in a better place to execute your skill sets.”

The off-spinner was India’s standout performer with the ball in Ranchi, registering figures of 2/22 from his four overs. He dismissed Finn Allen (35) and Mark Chapman (0) in the same over, the fifth of New Zealand’s innings.

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“These kind of games will help us in big tournaments” - Sundar on do-or-die Lucknow T20I

Having lost the Ranchi T20I, India will have to win in Lucknow to stay alive in the three-match series.

Asked about the mood in the camp and the preparations, Sundar asserted that the players are positive and are looking forward to the challenge. He concluded:

“Definitely, it’s going to be exciting. It’s a do-or-die game for sure. But one thing about such games is, especially when we go to big tournaments, these kinds of emotions will definitely kick in. Whatever it takes for us to win these kind of games will definitely help us to win big games in big tournaments.”

India bowled first in Ranchi and conceded 176/6. In reply, they stumbled to 15/3 and were eventually held to 155/9.