Washington Sundar recalls father’s message that helped him during IPL debut

Indian all-rounder Washington Sundar has recalled how his father’s message helped him during IPL debut in 2017 for now-defunct Rising Pune Supergiant. While making his debut for the franchise, Sundar conceded 19 runs in three overs he bowled against Sunrisers Hyderabad.

Sundar had replaced injured Ravichandran Ashwin in the squad and he was able to grab his opportunity with both hands. The all-rounder revealed his father told him to be courageous while playing on the big stage and that tip helped him the most.

“I went as a replacement. I joined the team after 3-4 games. Then, they let me play immediately. That was a great opportunity and blessing. But, this courage I would say, came from my upbringing. That’s one thing I have always been asked to do, right from very young. Whatever I do, I have to do it with courage. My father has always brought me up in a way that I should be tough no matter what,” he said in an episode on ‘Cheeky Cheeka’.

Sundar revealed how he replaced Ravichandran Ashwin in the RPS squad after assistant coach Rishikesh Kanitkar called him for trials.

“That year, before IPL, we won Vijay Hazare and Deodhar Trophy. I bowled well in those two tournaments. And our coach was Rishikesh Kanitkar. He was RPSG’s assistant coach. So, as soon as the tournament was over, I used to be at home. Suddenly, one day, he called me. I think it was Ashwin (who was injured). He said they’re looking for a replacement. You come here. He called me and another person. I bowled for two days. They were happy. After that, I was with the team. Obviously, after two or three matches, I joined the team’s squad. It was a great story. Everything went well. And for me, I was able to play cricket and learn a lot,” he added.

The Tamil Nadu all-rounder revealed how MS Dhoni and the franchise’s captain Steve Smith helped him rise through the ranks.

“He used to say, if you do this, you’ll see success. That was literally the case. (MS) That was the case the whole season. Smith also had a lot of confidence in me. He gave me a lot of bowling in powerplay. The way he looked at me, I liked it a lot. He genuinely believed in me,” he said. (via the aforementioned source)

Sundar recently impressed one and all on the England tour.