At 149/2 in the 26th over, India still needed 110 runs to win to go 1-0 up in the three-match ODI series against England at Edgbaston. Shubman Gill had looked in excellent touch, but was forced to retire hurt on 80.
Out walked Washington Sundar, whose batting role has often changed depending on the format and the team’s requirements. In T20Is, he has often been used as a finisher, while in Tests he has even been trusted at No. 4.
When the team sheet came out on Tuesday, Sundar was listed at No. 5. He walked out to bat at that number and responded with an unbeaten 52 as India sealed a six-wicket win, adding an unbroken 102-run stand with Player of the Match Axar Patel.
Sundar said he found it exciting to play different roles, something he felt not many got a chance to do.
“The fact that I play different roles is exciting. Not many people get to play different roles. I get to play those different roles and be in those different situations. Obviously, I try my best to help the team win. As I said, it is exciting to be in different situations and different phases of the game,” he said in the post-match press conference on Tuesday.
The 26-year-old has found backing from Gautam Gambhir across all three formats since he took over as head coach in July 2024, but he also credited his Gujarat Titans coach Ashish Nehra for helping him understand himself, both as a person and a cricketer.
“Gauti bhai always made me understand what exactly I could do with the bat, especially, and made me understand my game as well. Even Ashish Nehra at GT has always made sure… he has helped me understand myself a lot more, be it as a person or as a cricketer on the whole,” Sundar said.
“As an all-rounder, I think it is really important to keep looking to improve every single day, understand my game and, obviously, play according to the situation. Playing a lot of games also helps. You get to be in those situations, understand what exactly you can do, and you have a lot of learning as well. So yes, I am so grateful that I have got such people who have always had faith in my skill sets and also made me understand what exactly I could do with my different skill sets,” he added.
The left-hander admitted that it was not an easy pitch to bat on, and Axar’s innings made it look easy to score runs on that surface.
“There was definitely a little bit in the wicket. Shubman batted really well, and that partnership with Shreyas Iyer was very, very important. Obviously, the way Axar played, he got those crucial boundaries every time they were needed and made things look very easy.”
“We applied ourselves really well and were happy to have won this,” he said.
Asked about Gill’s fitness after the match, Sundar replied: “I have no idea.”
