Washington Sundar faces baptism by fire in his own parish

A couple of weeks ago, when India arrived at Brisbane, the Men In Blue, including Washington Sundar, would’ve been forgiven to only harbor aspirations of a draw and the subsequent retention of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy.

However, while the rest of the world perhaps debated over the visitors’ potential modus operandi, the host of Indian youngsters personified an unflappable mind, meaning that they ultimately marched to a historic triumph at the Gabba.

Unsurprisingly, a lot of positive furore surrounded the victory, not just because it dented what had previously been a spotless Australian record, but also due to the sheer obstacles that India had overcome.

Subsequently, the upcoming series against England has been looked upon as an assignment that the Men In Blue should simply win. After all, isn’t that what the Indians almost always do against the Three Lions, especially at home?

Nevertheless, the rubber against England also offers plenty of fringe players a chance to prove that their heroics Down Under weren’t just a flash in the pan. Among that echelon of greenhorns, Washington Sundar has to arguably shoulder the greatest burden. And for those wondering, well, there has rarely been a series in India, wherein the spinner hasn’t been cast under the scanner.

India scripted a historic victory against Australia

To put things into perspective, the Indian bowling attack that took to the field at the Gabba, had a grand total of 4 Tests between them, prior to the encounter. Washington Sundar though, didn’t contribute to that tally, meaning that if he gets the nod against England, he would only make his 2nd career Test appearance.

Hence, as far as experience is concerned, Washington Sundar could be as inexperienced as they come. Additionally, unlike spinners of the ilk of Axar Patel and Kuldeep Yadav, Washington Sundar hasn’t played an enormous amount of First-Class cricket, since his debut (in October 2016).

To further the aforementioned argument, Washington Sundar has only played 11 Ranji Trophy fixtures. In those contests, he has bowled more than 20 overs in an innings on only four occasions, whereas he has bowled more than 30 overs in an innings only once (against Odisha in November 2017).

Washington Sundar has not been in the habit of bowling long spells

Thus, with spinners usually having to undertake a lion’s share of the load in India, Washington Sundar might have to get accustomed to bowling long spells – something he hasn’t been doing regularly in First Class Cricket.

In fact, before playing at the Gabba, the off-spinner had last played a FC game in November 2017. More interestingly though, between October 2019 and January 2021, Washington Sundar had not bowled more than four overs in a competitive fixture – again, highlighting that he has always been earmarked as a T20 specialist.

Additionally, at Brisbane, the extra bounce and the lack of spin aided Washington Sundar’s cause, for the Australians weren’t really able to decipher what kind of shots to play. A majority of the batsmen tried sweeping the tweaker, which, according to cricket logic, isn’t a wise ploy, considering that Washington Sundar usually hones in at the stumps.

On the flip side though, on surfaces that offer lesser lift, batsmen might be able to garner more success via that avenue. And, perhaps, that is where the off-spinner would have to be on his toes, especially against England.

Contextually speaking, there are hardly any cricketers in the Three Lions’ line-up who aren’t compulsive players of the sweep shot. Though Dom Sibley doesn’t use that shot as often, Rory Burns and Zak Crawley often deploy it to mess up the bowlers’ lengths.

Washington Sundar will have to outsmart Joe Root

Ben Stokes and Jos Buttler (available only for the 1st Test) are excellent players of the conventional sweep, as well as the reverse sweep. Ben Foakes too, who is the aforementioned Buttler’s incumbent, fares fairly decently when adopting that stroke. As for Joe Root, well, he competes in a small list to be one of the best players of the sweep shot, in Test Cricket.

Moreover, for a spinner that likes to bowl at the stumps, Washington Sundar has a handful of ‘bowled’ and ‘LBW’ dismissals to celebrate. As far as numbers are concerned, of the 19 wickets he has taken in the Ranji Trophy, only 4 (2 bowled and 2 LBW) have occurred via that method.

Thus, those areas could be questioned significantly when Washington Sundar makes his home debut at the MA Chidambaram Stadium, which rather interestingly, has only seen the spinner in red-ball action twice previously.

In fact, it wouldn’t be a stretch to suggest that some of the Indians in the line-up, namely Ajinkya Rahane, Cheteshwar Pujara and Virat Kohli, would’ve played at the Chepauk more often.

Washington Sundar's batting will be tested to the hilt

On the batting front, Washington Sundar, even though he performed admirably against Australia, might have a few more quandaries to decode. And, a First-Class average of 32.42 suggests that the lanky youngster, despite the talent at his disposal, hasn’t always optimized it.

In his Ranji Trophy career, he has crossed 50 only twice, with one of those resulting in a spectacular 159-run knock against Tripura. More worryingly though, there have been quite a few instances where he has not even crossed the 20-run mark.

In the 15 domestic innings that he has played, he has been dismissed for 20 or lower 12 times, with him also getting out on 8 occasions between a score of 11-20. Again, something that might not be what India want, considering that Washington Sundar, would, in all likelihood, act as the link between the batsmen and the tailenders.

At that position, India would want a batsman capable of getting off to decent starts and putting the bowlers under immediate pressure, thereby not allowing them any sort of relief. And, of course, frustrate them further.

Additionally, although Washington Sundar barely showcased a chink in his batting armour, there were a couple of alarming signs, especially when facing rapid fast bowlers – something a certain Jofra Archer would definitely have picked up.

Washington Sundar could be tested by the short ball by England

Akin to a lot of sub-continent batsmen, Washington Sundar presses half forward, before ultimately deciding to transfer his weight – all without any profound footwork.

At the Gabba, the true nature of the strip allowed him to duck underneath deliveries that were aimed at his head. However, at Chennai, and in India generally, he might have to negotiate those a tad differently, owing to the variable bounce on offer.

Most tellingly though, away from the precocious talent Washington Sundar boasts, his biggest test could be handling the responsibility that has now been placed upon him.

For starters, at Brisbane, the Indians just about managed to field eleven fit players, meaning that any contribution from Washington Sundar was to be viewed as a bonus. Now though, the off-spinner has accorded a glimpse of what he could conjure, thereby increasing the expectations exponentially.

Furthermore, he might not be the unknown red-ball quantity that he was Down Under – again, something that could place greater scrutiny and also, allow the Three Lions to come up with better baked plans.

And, if that isn’t enough, Washington Sundar is en route to replace Ravindra Jadeja in a home Test match, which, considering the record the latter possesses, isn’t the most enviable job.

We came. We believed. We conquered. #TeamIndia 🇮🇳 pic.twitter.com/J2Z3q8pp9Z

— Washington Sundar (@Sundarwashi5) January 19, 2021

Having said that though, Washington Sundar, in his brief international career, has highlighted the excellent attributes he has and has often portrayed an elite mentality – something that has enabled him to withstand the trials and tribulations of top-level sport.

To add to that, he seems to be someone who thinks on his feet and is always looking for ideas to evolve himself as a cricketer – something that he seems to have taken a cue from Ravichandran Ashwin, who, much like Sundar, would be playing at home, in Chennai.

Here is where it all began!📍 #ChennaiBoys #TeamIndia 🇮🇳 pic.twitter.com/hNo1tHIn2W

— Washington Sundar (@Sundarwashi5) February 1, 2021

Yet, owing to the crest Washington Sundar enjoyed Down Under, one can’t help but feel that his greatest challenge could be to continue the splash he generated at the Gabba. Over the years, plenty have fallen by the wayside after promising debuts and even though the off-spinner seems primed for a longer haul, those doubts will keep lingering until he can maintain the aforementioned levels of intensity.

Rather ironically, for someone who was born and brought up on the streets of Chennai, Washington Sundar has never really been given the opportunity to endear himself to the cricket-watching population in that city. In fact, even in the IPL, he has only represented the Rising Pune Supergiant and the Royal Challengers Bangalore.

Thus, at least on that count, Washington Sundar’s actual baptism by fire could arrive on the 5th of February at the MA Chidambaram Stadium. Fortunately, though, a lack of comfort might not be an impediment, for he fondly calls that parish, home.