Washington Sundar is an upcoming Indian professional cricketer who has recently been very impressive in both domestic and international tournaments. The Indian all-rounder first came into the spotlight while playing in the Indian Premier League (IPL) with Royal Challengers Bangalore. He joined Sunrisers Hyderabad after the 2022 mega auction and has continued playing and impressing for them ever since. This article talks about his recent brilliant performance against New Zealand, where he picked up his maiden 7-fer and best first-class bowling figures.
Credit: News18
The second test between India and New Zealand started on 24th October 2024. New Zealand won the toss and elected to bat first. Ravichandran Ashwin picked up the first two wickets, dismissing Tom Latham and Will Young for relatively low scores. However, the partnership between Devon Conway and Rachin Ravindra troubled India a lot. Ashwin did struggle to get both these players out but ended up getting his man, dismissing Devon Conway and breaking a very crucial partnership.
It had been the Ravichandran Ashwin show until now, but his crucial wicket of Conway saw a gateway open for Washington Sundar to start delivering some of his menacing balls. The right-arm off-spinner started to get a lot of turns, confusing the batsmen with his brilliant variations. It was Rachin Ravindra who fell first, and Sundar got him bowled with a brilliant ball. This wicket marked the start of New Zealand’s collapse, with wickets falling on a regular basis after the departure of Rachin Ravindra.
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Washington Sundar continued his onslaught without showing any mercy to the Kiwis. He picked up Tom Blundell next, followed by Daryl Mitchell, Glenn Phillips, Tim Southee, Ajaz Patel, and Mitchell Santner. The Indian star ended up picking up seven wickets against New Zealand, picking up his maiden 7-fer as well as beating his own career best. This performance by the Indian all-rounder will be remembered for years to come by the fans and players alike. Washington Sundar ended the first inning having picked up seven wickets and conceded just 59 runs in 23.1 overs at an economy of 2.55, making him not only the most successful bowler but also the most economical.
🚨 WASHINGTON SUNDAR PRODUCE THE BALL OF THE SERIES 🚨 pic.twitter.com/vLvo4ipYAY
— Johns. (@CricCrazyJohns) October 24, 2024
The talented all-rounder has been in and around both international and domestic circuits for quite some time now. The Indian star made his debut for the Indian cricket team on 13th December 2017 in a One Day Internation (ODI) game against Sri Lanka. His Twenty20 International (T20I) debut came just a few weeks later, on 24th December 2017. While his white ball debut came in 2017, he had to wait much longer to make his Test debut for India. He finally did so in a test against Australia on 15th January 2021.
While Washinton Sundar is not yet established as a regular first-team member of the Indian cricket team, his performance in the second test against New Zealand has shown us just what the star is capable of. While others struggled to get a breakthrough, Washington Sundar managed to pick up seven wickets in a row and became the first Indian to pick up a five-wicket haul at the Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium in Test cricket.
It is clear that Sundar still has a long way to go before he can establish himself as a player India can rely on day in and day out, but he has shown a lot of promise. If he keeps performing and developing at this rate, it won’t be long before he becomes a regular name on the team sheet. To ensure this, Washington Sundar must concentrate on his consistency. A good game is nothing if you do not capitalise on it, and Sundar will need to make sure he keeps such performances coming so that he can make a spectacular breakthrough and become India’s next star.
For more news and updates on Washington Sundar, keep reading GutshotMagazine.com. Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and Telegram.
Guransh Machra is a sportswriter at Gutshot Magazine. He covers football news from local leagues like the Indian Super League as well as international leagues like the Premier League. He follows various sports like Football, Cricket, Formula 1, and Tennis. Apart from sports, Guransh is also enthusiastic about reading and gaming.
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