NEW DELHI: Team India all-rounder Washington Sundar’s composed 50-run innings and 127-run partnership with Nitish Reddy on Day 3 of the Boxing Day Test showcased his determination and mental fortitude in the face of relentless Australian pressure.
Batting alongside Nitish Kumar Reddy, Sundar anchored India’s efforts, emphasising resilience and partnership as the foundation of his approach.
Speaking on Star Sports, he highlighted the clarity of his intent and the support system that enabled him to thrive in challenging conditions. Sundar acknowledged the significance of fighting spirit, irrespective of the match situation.
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“The intent was definitely to fight no matter what the situation is,” he said. “The way things turned out was really heartening. I mean, very grateful to be in an atmosphere like this where there are so many people coming out to support us. It was a big gift for us. And obviously, in the context of the series as well, it was going to be very important for us to keep getting ourselves into a good position. But yeah, different phases we played out differently. But we kind of saw through every little phase quite well. I mean, me and Nitesh kept telling each other that we’re going to fight no matter what. And I mean, the way he batted was amazing to watch from the other end.”
India’s strategy, Sundar revealed, was built on patience. With instructions from the dressing room to play time rather than chase runs hastily, Sundar and Reddy focused on tiring the opposition bowlers.
“The message was quite clear from the dressing room. We just needed to play time no matter what. Because runs were coming in and they were also getting quite tired as well. So runs were going to come at some stage. So it was just important for us to spend a lot of time out there in the middle,” Sundar explained.
Sundar also lauded the efforts of India’s head coach Gautam Gambhir and batting coach Abhishek Nayar in preparing him to excel against Australia’s tactical nuances.
“Gauti Bhai has helped me a lot because he’s trusted in me a lot. And he’s kept telling me how much my batting skill set is going to be important for the team,” Sundar said.
Similarly, Nayar’s emphasis on tactics and situational adaptability had a profound impact on Sundar’s game.
“And even the batting coach Abhishek Nair, he’s worked a lot in my game. And he’s always made sure tactically I’m always there. And no matter, we knew Australians are going to try out different things in different phases of the game. But he talks a lot about tactics and having such information, especially out there, I think it made a lot of things easy for me,” Sundar noted.
Young Reddy’s unbeaten maiden century of 105, alongside a record 127-run eighth-wicket partnership with Washington Sundar, rescued India from a precarious 191/6 to 358/9 at stumps on Day 3 of the fourth Test against Australia.
