Watching Washington Sundar go about his task in the just-concluded England-India Test series made you wonder whether he was teaching us in a classroom the art of perseverance. The likes of Jofra Archer, Ben Stokes and Josh Tongue kept troubling him from a round-the-wicket angle. But at the nth moment, Washington used to just keep his bat inside the line and for the opponent to only have a consolation prize.
Just consider the 56th over on day 1 of the final Test. Tongue had just produced a couple of peaches to dismiss Ravindra Jadeja and Sai Sudharsan from his trademark round-the-wicket angle. For a moment it seemed as if he would do the same to Washington. With his awkward 11 o’clock release, he got one to straighten and produce the edge. Washington, however, negated the threat by playing with a loose bottom hand and for the ball to go towards the slip cordon on one bounce. He went on to stitch a crucial stand of 65 for the seventh wicket with Karun Nair.
This was the same batting template which he used to frustrate England’s quicks on the final day at Old Trafford to not just score a hundred but also steer India to a draw. When India had almost wiped off England’s gargantuan lead, he did unleash a few pulls, but by then he and Jadeja had guided their side to safer waters.
Washington’s batsmanship wasn’t restricted to just defending in the series. He had something else in store for all of us in the second innings at The Oval. With just one wicket left for England to take, Washington pulverised the opponent with pulls and hoicks, compiling a 46-ball 53. Of this, 36 came of 16 balls at the end of the Indian innings.
The short ball that seemed to have given him a few scars during parts of the series was now getting dispatched over the boundary hoardings. In the final analysis, the last-wicket stand with Prasidh Krishna, which yielded 39 runs in just over four overs, turned out to be the telling difference. England ended up losing the game by a mere six runs.
Initially, as a sports connoisseur, who preferred to watch some flair and panache, it was a bit annoying to witness Washington’s methods. But as the series progressed, yours truly started to appreciate Washington’s art of grinding down the opponent to bits. At some point, Washington’s doggedness would have affected a fast bowler mentally.
His contributions to India’s defining drawn series in England don’t just end there. He also imparted more than enough drift with the ball in hand to pick up key wickets. Washington’s mentality to invest everything into each and every part of his game makes him a special cricketer. With the home season around the corner, he will not be India’s go to all-rounder. And deservedly so.
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