Indian all-rounder Washington Sundar made a low-key comeback to First-Class cricket following his outing for South Zone in the Duleep Trophy semifinal against North Zone between July 5 and 8.
After a hiatus of six months, Sundar didn’t produce any overwhelming returns. He bowled a total of 11 overs, claiming one wicket and piled up 14 runs in both innings.
The 23-year-old emphasised the importance of the Duleep Trophy to develop his skills as a player. He yearns of playing County Cricket to better his cricketing prowess.
"Duleep Trophy is very important because if we perform here it will give us a lot of confidence and belief in our skills. When I play more red-ball games the more experienced I will get. I will learn a lot more things. I hope I will get to play County cricket and that will help me grow better," Washington said before the Duleep Trophy final versus West Zone.
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The cricketer hailing from Tamil Nadu has seen numerous injury setbacks in the last couple of years. He missed the 2023 IPL season for Sunrisers Hyderabad because of a hamstring injury.
He played in the ongoing Tamil Nadu Premier League for Madurai Pathers, marking his comeback to competitive cricket.
Named after his godfather, Mr Washington, the cricketer is thankful for the fact that he doesn’t have to go through any rehab right now as he has had his fair share of injury troubles.
"It is good to have games like this (Duleep Trophy) early in the season as I would like to play as many matches as possible. Of course, it is good for me that I don't have to go through any rehab right now,” he commented.
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He has also said that injuries have made him stoic.
“Obviously, mentally it is very challenging. I do everything possible to strengthen muscles, for the injuries to heal as quickly as possible. People are going to go through challenges every single day, and it is the same in a cricketer's life as well. So, I just need to find a way to come through it. I just try to be in the present. I ensure that my work ethics and work routine remain unaffected," said the lanky finger-spinner.
The talented allrounder has scored 264 Test runs at an average of 66.2 from 4 matches, taking 6 wickets. His ODI numbers stand as 233 runs from 16 matches with as many wickets. The off-spinner has taken 29 T20I scalps at an average of 28.03. He last featured for India in an ODI against New Zealand in 2023
