Just before the IPL retentions towards the end of last year, Washington Sundar faced a dilemma. One of the players most affected by the arrival of the Impact Player rule, Washington’s game time had been shrinking in the IPL. For a player who was struggling to cement a spot in India’s T20 and ODI setup, the lack of game time was far from ideal.
It was around this time that Chennai Super Kings explored the possibility of a trade with Gujarat Titans (GT), which would have seen the 26-year-old turn out for a team from his hometown. The temptation must have been hard to ignore. But after a round of talks, the all-rounder chose to remain in GT and fight his way through.
Around the same time, the 2022 IPL champions sprung a surprise. For a franchise thin on firepower in the middle-order, they traded Sherfane Rutherford to Mumbai and put their faith in Washington to fill the middle-order role. It didn’t matter that the all-rounder had played only six matches last season. That he was far from a middle-order enforcer didn’t cloud their thinking. But having decided on a template that they would stick to, in Washington, they saw a batsman who would get the job done alongside Jos Buttler.
As GT continue to ascend with a template that is considered past the sell-by date in T20s, alongside their openers, Washington is a classic case of a player fitting a role that may not be possible elsewhere.
Solidity in middle
The 296 runs he has tallied in 12 outings aren’t startling numbers, but given the volume of runs scored by their top-order, those runs complete the side.
The heavy-lifting role is reserved for the openers and Buttler at No 3. With a fragile middle and lower-order at disposal, Washington’s role has been to provide solidity when needed and also play vital cameos in the end.
The role is not too different to what he plays for India. In the last 18 months, he has had to play all sorts of roles. Need an all-rounder, slot him. Need a No 3 in Tests, put him there. Need a spinner to bowl in the powerplay, hand him the ball. He has succeeded in all roles, but in the IPL, there are still some question marks over whether he is putting his best foot forward.
So far this season, Shubman Gill has handed him the ball only thrice. But given they haven’t relied too much on Rashid Khan thanks to the pitches they operate on, there is little to question on that front.
Technical changes
However, beyond everything, there still lies a question: Is the IPL stalling Washington’s white-ball game?
Having started his career as a top-order batsman, capable of clearing the field, in domestic cricket, he has since come to terms with a lower, middle-order role. In the last 12 months, he has shown signs of his power-hitting game evolving, like in the T20I against Australia or in the matches against RR and SRH last week.
But it still remains a work in progress. Unlike other batsmen who play a similar role, he seldom shuffles his back leg across. Instead,he prefers to go deep.
These days, Washington has been working on his power-hitting game and has tweaked his technique slightly to meet the T20 demands. For a batsman with a compact game suited for Test cricket, when it comes to white-ball requirements, he has opened up his stance a bit, and if need be, he even crouches low to get underneath the ball. Opening up his shoulders means his range has expanded, and with a good swing of the bat to back it, Washington has been able to target the pockets in the V. With a ramp and a pull-shot at his disposal, his batting has expanded, but the question is whether the opportunities he gets are enough.
With Gujarat inching closer to the play-offs and the conditions not lopsided in favour of batsmen, Washington’s real job could only begin now, starting with Kolkata on Saturday.
