What came as a lucky break has been turned into a monumental one by Washington Sundar. The Tamil Nadu allrounder was initially not included in any of the three squads for the ongoing Duleep Trophy but was added to the India Red squad after the exit of few players for the two unofficial Test matches against New Zealand A.
The 17-year old has grabbed the opportunity with both the hands as he not only hit a career-best 88 in first-class cricket in the ongoing final against Blue but has also become the first player to score a fifty in addition to picking up a ten-wicket haul on Duleep Trophy debut.
Congrats! MS Washington Sundar on maiden ten-wicket haul in first-class cricket. Also, first to score a fifty and take 10 wickets on @paytm #DuleepTrophy debut #Final #IndRedvIndBlue pic.twitter.com/oyEQCnFeUQ
— BCCI Domestic (@BCCIdomestic) September 28, 2017
Sundar had scored a stroke-filled 118-ball 88 runs knock in the first innings to propel the Dinesh Karthik-led side to a massive 483. He backed it up by taking five wickets that helped India Red to bowl out India Blue for 299 to gain a huge lead of 184. The left-handed batsman then hit a crucial 42 in the second innings as India Red posted a massive 393-run target for the Suresh Raina-led side.
Sundar was not done yet and made the match more memorable for himself by destroying India Blue in the ongoing second innings. The off-spinner ran riot with the ball, dismissing the likes of Suresh Raina, Manoj Tiwary as he took 5 wickets to reduce the opposition to 137 for 6.
The ongoing year, meanwhile, is turning out to be defining one for Sundar. He first shot to prominence after playing an integral part in Tamil Nadu’s victorious campaign in the Vijay Hazare and Deodhar Trophy. He was then roped in by Rising Pune Supergiant as a replacement for the injured Ravichandran Ashwin and he justified the decision by taking 11 wickets in nine games at an average of 12 and an impressive economy rate of only 5.54.