The all-rounder played at a strike-rate in excess of 200.
Washington Sundar was included in the Indian playing XI for the third T20I against Australia in Hobart. The Indian all-rounder had a roller-coaster of a game. After being kept away from the bowling responsibilities, the player from Tamil Nadu played his part with the bat in hand to taken India over the line. The series stands level at 1-1, with two games to go.
Washington Sundar scored a superb 49 off just 23 deliveries, in a knock that had a lot of poise and class. The innings comprised three fours and four maximums, and each one of them was clinically struck. To add to that, Washington played at a strike-rate of a whopping 213.04, which gave the Australians no chance to defend their total of 186/6.
Having said that, the Gujarat Titans (GT) player’s knock rekindled some memories from the past. Former India star Dinesh Karthik found himself in a very similar situation in a T20I against Australia in Brisbane in 2018. However, the Indians went on to lose that match by a bare margin of four runs (DLS method). Washington Sundar, however, went a step ahead and took India home.
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The first T20I between Australia and India in 2018 in Brisbane saw the hosts post a total of 158/4 in 17 overs in a rain-affected game. However, when Dinesh Karthik walked out to bat in the second innings, the revised target was 174 runs in 17 overs. However, the Indian wicketkeeper-batter scored a 13-ball 30, which was not enough to take the team over the line.
Washington Sundar walked out to bat after Axar Patel’s wicket, when the team score was 111/4, chasing 187. The game was at a crucial juncture, and the Indians needed to stitch a partnership. The all-rounder from Tamil Nadu played a great hand of 49* from 23 balls, and also stitched a partnership with Jitesh Sharma to take the team home from that situation.
Having said that, Washington Sundar’s strike-rate in the innings was the fifth-highest for an Indian batting at six or lower with a minimum of 30 runs in a T20I. Though it was not a perfect game for the all-rounder, he will take a lot of confidence from this knock.
The Men in Blue have some difficult questions to answer. The management picked Washington Sundar over Rinku Singh, but could not hand the ball to him in the first innings. Considering the mentality to not bring him on against a right-hander, the Indians got their team selection a bit south in terms of the all-rounder. Though it did not come to haunt them, they need to think about the inclusion of Rinku Singh in the shortest format.
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