Team India all-rounder Washington Sundar gave the credit to the Gujarat Titans (GT) coach Ashish Nehra for his stunning performance with the bat in the recently concluded away Test series against England. The series was drawn 2-2 with India winning the final match as well. Notably, Washington Sundar scored his maiden Test hundred in the fourth match of the series in Manchester, where he scored an unbeaten 101 off 206 balls in the second innings that helped India draw the match as well.

“I was with Ashish Nehra at GT in the IPL. In this IPL, the amount of batting preparation I did, I have never played that much in my life. He gave me that much batting. The things I did there helped me in this match. It was the last wicket and I had to hit so the power hitting definitely helped. Whether it was GT’s support staff or our whole prep culture, everything helped me in many ways. So, it was a super moment,” he said in an episode on 1983 World Cup winner Krishnamachari Srikkanth’s YouTube channel ‘Cheeky Cheeka’.

“Some things, we always keep in mind while batting. When we are only focused on those things, the outside noise or what others are saying, or the pressure from the outside, it won’t be there. I mean, I am sure. It won’t be there. So, I was genuinely only focused on a couple of things. One, obviously, being watching the ball really closely. And, I just trusted my instincts. I believed that I could actually do it for the team. And, I believed that I could play two and a half sessions. And, obviously, my coach believed a lot. Pant did not bat in that innings. As a team, it was great to draw that match with such a performance,” he further added.

READ HERE: Shubman Gill Takes Sly Dig At His Critics After India Win At Edgbaston

However, Washington Sundar also opened up on Shubman Gill’s captaincy. Gill was named India’s new Test captain ahead of the England tour as well. While it was his first series as a captain, the team was also in a transition phase with seniors like Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, and Ravichandran Ashwin having retired from the Test format as well.

“With his leadership, he was very calm. Obviously, playing against England, we always expected them to be a little aggressive with their approach. And the conditions are also quite different. But, his calm nature was evident in all situations. Especially, when we were fielding, he was very calm. And he was just telling us what we needed to do in those situations, and not really think too far ahead,” he said.

“And that kind of maturity, I feel is a big thing in the first series. And the first series being abroad, not in India. Obviously, he would have played a lot of matches. He would have led also. But, he was very calm. And as bowlers, when he came to us, we were very clear as to what we should do. In those situations, he was very, very calm,” Washington Sundar concluded.