Gautam Gambhir always believed Washington Sundar was underutilized: Sriram
Indian all-rounder Washington Sundar was on India's current head coach Gautam Gambhir's radar for a long time. Former cricketer and coach Sridharan Sriram revealed this in a recent interview with The Indian Express. Sriram spent a season with Gambhir at the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) where he witnessed Gambhir's belief in Sundar's potential and versatility. Here are further details.
Gambhir's faith in Sundar's versatility
Sriram also recalled that two years ago, when he was at LSG, Gambhir had said that Sundar was "underutilized," considering his "versatility." He said, "If you look at it, from the moment GG (Gambhir) came into the picture, Washy has been a regular across formats because he always believed he was being underutilized." This speaks volumes about Gambhir's faith in Sundar's batting and bowling abilities.
Sundar's career-best performance vindicates Gambhir's selection
Sundar had recently registered a career-best first-class figure of 7/59 in the second Test of the three-match series against New Zealand. His performance helped India restrict New Zealand to 259 after tea on Day 1. Despite criticism for resting Kuldeep Yadav, the decision to include Sundar in the team was fully supported by Gambhir who applauded Sundar's performance from the dressing room.
Sriram's advice to Sundar post-IPL
Sriram also revealed that post-IPL, Sundar had come to him seeking help to improve his red-ball skills. He told Sundar to work on over-spin, a technique they had discussed earlier when they were together at Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB). Sriram was happy to see Sundar using this advice in his brilliant show against New Zealand.
