Shubman Gill will lead India in Tests for the first time against England
Indian top-order batter B Sai Sudharsan has named his state mate Washington Sundar as his inspiration growing up as the pair get ready for the five-match Test series against England.
Sudharsan, who has been called up for his first England tour and likely to make his debut in the series, said that Washington’s rise through the ranks has inspired him through his junior years to perform and make it to the national team.
“He has been my inspiration when I was young. I have also played few games against him and to be honest we’ve looked up to him a lot. The way he went up and played for the country, I had that in my mind,” Sai Sudharsan told BCCI.tv.
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Washington made his international debut the same year he made his debut in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2017 at the age of 17. The spin-bowling all-rounder, at 25, has played 54 T20Is, 23 ODIs and nine Tests.
“He played well in the IPL for few years and he played for India. Looking at him and knowing him from a very young age, it motivated me and I also wanted to do the same way,” Sudharsan added.
The Tamil Nadu duo are also team mates in the Indian Premier League (IPL) having played for Gujarat Titans in the 2025 season. Sudharsan won the Orange Cap after topping the run-scoring charts with a whopping 759 runs from 15 innings and also earning his call-up for the England Tests.
Washington was used sparingly by GT as an Impact Player as he scored 133 runs from five innings and claimed two wickets.
The 25-year-old has been part of India’s overseas tours for a while now and recently featured in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy. Sudharsan, who was part of the India A side for the shadow tour of Australia, had scored a hundred in the second game but didn’t get a chance in the final squad.
“My coaches and friends had constantly spoken about his growth. In the last three, four years he has only managed to get better,” Washington said of Sudharsan.
Besides Washington and Sudharsan, India are being led by GT captain Shubman Gill who has succeeded Rohit Sharma as the Test skipper and also pacer Prasidh Krishna who won the Purple Cap in IPL 2025.
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