Washington Sundar: Simply hoping for an uninterrupted run

Still, during a warm-up game in Durham before the first Test against England the all-rounder felt pain in his right forefinger and had to return home. “It was a freak injury. He did not suffer a hit on the hand at all. The ligament in his forefinger had moved,” Sundar says.

The 22-year-old had endured similar disappointment on the 2018 limited-overs tour of UK when an ankle injury suffered while playing football left him bedridden for several weeks. The pain in his finger also took time to subside, sidelining him for nearly six months. It saw him miss the T20 World Cup too. He had been a regular for India in the shortest format until his injury, having featured in 13 of their previous 16 T20Is at that stage.

There was more agony in store. He returned in December to play for Tamil Nadu in the Vijay Hazare Trophy one-day tournament and subsequently earned a call-up for the ODIs in South Africa last month. Then, Covid struck.

“He did not have any symptoms, but couldn’t go to South Africa. The last six months have been the hardest,” Sundar says. “He was so keen to be part of the England tour and World Cup. I couldn’t even say anything to motivate him. He wouldn’t talk much. He lost some weight because of all the stress.”

The first ODI against West Indies on Sunday—Washington’s first international game in 11 months—must have finally eased some of the stress. The off-spinner took 3/30 in nine overs and played a key role with leg-spinner Yuzvendra Chahal in India’s six-wicket victory. He showed his growing range as a bowler at a time when there has been plenty of chopping and changing in the spin department.

Chahal, R Ashwin and Jayant Yadav were tried in South Africa while Ravindra Jadeja and Axar Patel are due to return soon from injury. Kuldeep Yadav is also back in the reckoning for this series after recovering from a knee injury.

The reason Washington has played only two ODIs till now is that he has been largely pigeonholed as a T20 bowler. It’s perhaps because he bowls a lot in the powerplay overs of T20 games, where he is compelled to bowl flatter and faster.

On Sunday too, he was introduced in just the eighth over, just two fielders outside the 30-yard circle and a newish ball in hand. But Washington was willing to give the ball some air and see what the pitch offered first up.

The very first ball turned sharply past left-hander Darren Bravo’s outside edge, which happened twice more in his first over. The reward didn’t take long coming. In his third over, Washington followed up a similar delivery with a slightly quicker one that carried on with the arm and trapped him LBW. Right through his spell, Washington kept alternating between a flatter trajectory and deliveries that had scope to grip the surface.

He also dismissed Brandon King and Fabian Allen, his three wickets suggesting he is capable of a lot more than just drying up the runs. “I have just always wanted to execute my stock ball as best as possible. That’s something I did today as well. I am happy that I could bowl to my strengths,” Washington said on Sunday.

His adaptability to bowl at any stage of the game is a definite advantage. “I enjoy bowling in the powerplay. That’s something I have done for the last few years. My experiences have definitely helped,” he said.

Batting depth

Let’s not forget his batting ability either. His resourcefulness at No 7 adds depth to the Indian batting unit and allows the specialist batters to play with more freedom. In South Africa, where India lost 0-3, Ashwin, Shardul Thakur and Deepak Chahar were slotted in at No 7 in the three games. They are all essentially bowlers who can contribute with the bat.

Whether it is the pace and bounce of The Gabba or the raging turners in Chennai and Ahmedabad, Washington’s technique is good enough to produce runs consistently. His batting prowess wasn’t required on Sunday, but his teammates won’t need to panic even if he had to steer them out of a tight spot. It’s just injuries and illness that he needs to stay clear of now.