Washington Sundar reveals how Suryakumar Yadav astonished him with Super Over call in 3rd IND vs SL T20I
India off-spinner Washington Sundar opened up about the conversation between him and India's T20I captain Suryakumar Yadav before the Super Over during the third T20I between India and Sri Lanka at Pallekele.
It was a low-scoring thriller as the match ended up in a tie after both the innings were completed. India bowled first in the Super Over and surprisingly, Washington Sundar was trusted to bowl it.
It was a surprising and risky decision as Sundar's traditional off-spin could have been perfect for Sri Lanka to latch upon. But the youngster bowled to his strengths and according to his fields. He picked up two wickets off successive balls to end Sri Lanka's innings on just 2 runs, leaving India with just 3 runs to win.
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Washington Sundar opens up on his conversation with Suryakumar Yadav before Super Over
After the match, Sundar revealed that he had no idea that he was going to bowl the Super Over and Suryakumar Yadav just turned up and chose him as the bowler.
“Honestly, I had no idea that I was going to bowl, but after the batsmen walked out to bat, Surya (Suryakumar Yadav) just turned behind (to look), and he said, ‘Washy (Washington Sundar), you are on’,” said Sundar, who picked up 2-2 in the Super Over.
Sundar also revealed that he was happy that his captain showed faith in him in tough situations and saw it as a great opportunity to win the game for his country.
“I was very happy to be honest when captain wants you to bowl in tough situations, especially in Super Over, I thought it was a great opportunity for me to step up and win the game for my country and thank God things went well,” the offspinner added.
With 3 runs to win, Suryakumar Yadav himself swept the first ball of the Super Over towards short fine leg, where a misfield ensured India maintain a clean sheet in the series.
"He has a big heart in terms of leadership as well" - Washington Sundar on Suryakumar Yadav
Washington Sundar also hailed Suryakumar Yadav's captaincy skills for bringing in Rinku Singh in a crunch situation when SL's best batter of the day was still at the crease.
“Honestly, it's amazing of him, amazing of his leadership skills to be honest because (with) 12 balls (left and) 9 (runs) to win and for him to bring Rinku (on), especially when Kusal Perera is batting, and Rinku got him out and Surya (then) himself came in the last over and won the game for us,” Sundar mentioned.
“We all know he has a big heart when he goes out there to bat but also he has a big heart in terms of leadership as well. All the credits to him and (it was) amazing of him,” he added.
The 24-year-old also added that Suryakumar Yadav kept insisting his bowlers that they were just one wicket away from a collapse. Sri Lanka were comfortably placed at one point when they were 110-1 but lost 7-22 afterward to lose the plot.
“Surya kept telling us that one or two wickets in between game would definitely change and obviously in these kind of games, low scoring games, even run-a-ball would put a lot of pressure on the batsmen because they need to get the job done especially when the wicket has something for the bowler,” Sundar added.
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