Washington Sundar Didn’t Even Have Proper Test Kit, Had to go Shopping After Match Began: R Sridhar

The Border-Gavaskar Test series between India and Australia has been nothing short of a miracle on all fronts. From winning against all odds with multiple key players injuring, battling of-field assault and abuses, and high pressure to discovering how truly talented the younger players are. One thing the series has truly shown is that even when the senior players will be unavailable, young Team India will be in good hands. One such new discovery is Washington Sundar who made his debut at Gabba.

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Who would have thought a player making a surprise debut in one of the most intense Test Matches ever would go on to be instrumental toward the win. He was selected after Ravichandran Ashwin got injured and couldn’t play the final Test of the series. Sundar wasn’t even in the Test squad and had not prepared for it in form or shape.

The scale of surprise at his selection can be exemplified in the fact that he didn’t even have any White Pads! The Chennai-based spinner was chosen for T-20. Given that, his kit only contained the coloured gear. When his selection was announced, the player fretted over getting new pads.

Fielding coach R Sridhar revealed this fact while talking to Telangana Today. The team and staff, along with the players, really struggled to find him a pair that would fit him comfortably.

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"They went to purchase a white pad for Sundar after the Test Match had already started. “We tried many but they were too small for the tall Sundar. We tried getting from the Aussies but due to Covid, they could not spare their pads. Finally, we had to go to a shop after the Test match had started," he said.

Sundar had not played a single Test since 2017. He was kept in the team for net practice to help the batsmen with his bowling. But his own bat turned to out to be a magnificent gamechanger which ultimately led India to its historic win.

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