Washington Sundar Keen to Make Amends in England After IPL Disappointment

IPL 2018 proved to be a disastrous outing for Royal Challengers Bangalore and all-rounder Washington Sundar, as both failed to produce performances of substance throughout the season. While RCB finished a paltry sixth in the points table, Washington just picked 4 wickets from 7 games. This is after he had a great Nidahas Trophy and was adjudged Man of the Series.

Despite his mediocre performance on the field, Washington insists that there was a lot to be learnt in the two months of IPL. In an interview with Times of India, he said, “The experience was very good. To be honest, playing or not playing depends on the selection group. There are a lot of things involved when it comes to making the playing XI in IPL – four foreign players, team combination etc. It’s not disappointing at all. Whenever you play a long tournament like the IPL, there are a lot of things you learn irrespective of how you do.”

India is set to leave for United Kingdom for a series against Ireland, followed by a series versus England. The all-rounder would be looking to perform well in the ODI and T20I series.

“I have never played cricket in England before. The challenge will be to get the best out of myself in those conditions. I should not be looking to do things too differently. I just need to be mentally prepared in all aspects. If I can do that, I have the belief that results will go my way and I can succeed there,” he assessed.

This will also be for the first time that Washington would be part of a full-strength India squad, and will play international cricket under Virat Kohli’s captaincy. Having played in the IPL under Kohli will hold the youngster in good stead.

“It was amazing to play under Kohli. There are so many things to learn from the way he carries himself and the kind of intensity he brings. You cannot blink when you are playing with him. As captain, he gave me a lot of inputs in terms of strategies and tactics. It definitely helps being around senior players if you are up for it and keen to learn as much as possible. When I’m around stars like Kohli and Dhoni (with Pune last year and India), it gives me an added advantage to grasp things quickly.”