Young all-rounder Washington Sundar shone with both the bat and ball during the first T20I of the three-match series between India and New Zealand at the JSCA International Stadium Complex in Ranchi on Friday, January 27. Former Indian cricketer Mohammad Kaif heaped praise on Sundar’s brilliant knock and said that he showed proper batting.
The Kiwis beat India by 21 runs in the series opener to take a 1-0 lead. The off-spinner struck early with the ball in the power play by dismissing well-set Finn Allen and Mark Chapman in the fifth over of the innings. The left-handed batter put up a great fight with the bat after the team collapsed to 127/8. The southpaw smashed his maiden T20I half century of just 25 deliveries.
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Washington Sundar Has A Solid Technique – Mohammad Kaif
During a post-match discussion on Star Sports, Mohammad Kaif said that other batters failed to capitalize on their starts. Kaif feels that the match would’ve come close if one or two batters stayed till the end with Sundar. The former Indian batter said that Sundar has a solid batting technique and plays his shots on merit.
“I feel, the way he fought, if one or two batters were there with him, the match would have gotten close. All the batters had gotten out, but he capitalized on his chance. He does proper batting,” Kaif said.
“He knows how to play shots in all directions. He played a reverse sweep off the first ball he faced. He knows how to bat because he used to open in club cricket in Chennai. He has a solid technique and watches the ball closely before hitting, plays his shots on merit and is not in a hurry,” he added.
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Kaif feels that scoring a half-century in the lower order with fewer balls to face is very difficult in a T20I match. He said that the Tamil Nadu cricketer can perform well in all three formats, and his graph is moving upward.
“It is extremely difficult to score a fifty in T20 cricket at No. 7, you don’t have the balls to face. He scored 50 runs off 26 balls here. Whether he plays Test matches, ODIs or T20Is, wherever he has been given opportunities, he is taking his graph upwards.”
India will take on New Zealand in the second T20I at the Bharat Ratna Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ekana Cricket Stadium in Lucknow on Sunday, January 29.
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