Young all-rounder Washington Sundar is full of confidence over his game and believes he is ready to represent India at the highest level. Sundar has been included in the Indian team for the first time earlier this month and he is expecting a good show if gets a chance.

“For any cricketer, playing for India is the ultimate dream. As an 18-year-old, I have got the opportunity to play for India and it is a great feeling. I trust a lot in my preparation and it has paid off,” he said.

He had to pass the all-important Yo-Yo test to get a chance in the national team and he passed this test in his second attempt. It is his first time into the team but he still feels quite familiar in the dressing room.

“It has been my fourth day to be precise but I do not feel that I just became part of the team. I knew lot of players before, have played with Mahi bhai (Dhoni) in the IPL. They all made me feel at home,” said Sundar.

The 18-year-old first named in the T20I team for Sri Lanka series but later brought into the ODI squad as well after Kedar Jadhav ruled out with an injured hamstring. Earlier, Sundar has played in IPL for Rising Pune Supergiants, where he was phenomenal with his off-break bowling, but playing for the country was still away from his reach.

“I went back, prepared a lot, trained a lot on aspects, where I needed to. It paid off. I started bowling more and spent extra time on my batting. And fitness also as you know it has become a very important aspect of this Indian team,” Sundar added.

He is very talented batsman apart from his off-spin ability. In the Tamil Nadu Premier League, he was the highest run-scorer and second highest wicket-taker in the tournament. Talking to his abilities, he quoted “I would definitely have to be ready to bowl 10 overs of off-spin and contribute with the bat no matter what position the team is in.”

Indian batting failed miserably in Dharamshala ODI, which had a fast bowling friendly wicket. Sundar recalled that there are more wickets similar to this in India. Talking about the same, he stated “You do see a lot of wickets like that. In a domestic season, you get to play two games on tracks similar to Dharamsala. The way Mahi bhai batted was great, he went on the counter-attack. Another 60-70 runs would have made a lot of difference.”

The second ODI will be played on December 13 in Mohali, where Team India will try to level the series.