Veteran commentator Sanjay Manjrekar has said that Washington Sundar’s talent surprised him after he scored a crucial fifty in India’s first innings of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy (BGT) 2024-25 fourth Test. He added that the off-spinner stood out with the ball in the recent home series against New Zealand as well. However, Sundar scored 50 runs off 162 deliveries as India ended Day 3 (Saturday, December 28) of the Boxing Day Test against Australia in Melbourne at 358 for nine as well.
During a discussion on Star Sports, Manjrekar said, “We have seen similar batting from him earlier in Australia. So there were expectations from him and that is why he is probably playing in this match as his batting would help India. He is slightly different from the other batters. He takes his stance within the crease.”
“When he plays off the back foot, it seemed one or two times that he would get hit wicket. He plays so late. I have always been surprised that how can one guy have so much talent. He is an off-spinner. We saw him becoming a proper replacement for Ashwin in the home series and then batting like this. He plays T20 and 50-over cricket as well,” Sanjay Manjrekar added.
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In the same discussion, Irfan Pathan also opened up on Washington Sundar hitting a solitary boundary during his innings.
“A different game was going on at the other end. Nitish Kumar Reddy was showing aggression. He was stepping out and playing big shots. When you see such a thing at the other end, it’s even more difficult to control your instinct because you feel that two different games are being played. However, two different games were required to be played,” he added.
“Washington Sundar drove the game. He kept defending. To hit just one boundary in 150 balls is a huge thing. It’s a test of patience and he passed it. Nitish Kumar Reddy will definitely be praised. However, if Washington Sundar had not supported him, this century might not have come. It was praiseworthy,” Pathan concluded.
