Execution of Skills & Game Awareness Have Improved - Washington

Washington Sundar believes he has improved a lot as a bowler over the last two years as he gears up for the tour of West Indies, where he has been selected in India’s T20I squad.

"There has been a lot to learn in the last couple of years. And the more I play, the more I am going to learn. My execution of skills and game awareness to handle different situations has improved," Washington told the Times of India.

Given that first-choice spinners Kuldeep Yadav and Yuzvendra Chahal have been excluded from the T20I squad, Washington’s chances of featuring in the three-match series are high.

However, the 19-year old is not thinking too much about the competition for spots in the playing XI and is just focusing on working on his own skills.

"It is an amazing opportunity to be playing for India at such a young age. But the moment I think about the competition and start expecting too much, it makes things harder.

“I just have to focus on the present and work on my skills in practice every day. I put in a lot of hard work and effort in every session. I strongly believe that my hard work is going to pay off going ahead."

Washington featured in the recently-concluded India A tour of West Indies where he played in four games and claimed three wickets as India A registered a 4-1 series win.

"The India 'A' tour went really well for me both in terms of building up confidence and getting some game time, especially after the break I had last year due to injury.

“I got to play against some quality opposition. The conditions and the players I encountered were very different to what I am used to."

The first T20I between India and West Indies takes place on August 3 at Florida, USA. ​