Brisbane Test | Had to Bowl Good Balls Over And Over Again to Get Steve Smith Out: Washington Sundar

Sundar talked about his transition from white ball to red-ball cricket and said bowling in nets helped him prepare for the Test debut.

Published: January 15, 2021 4:25 PM IST

By India.com Sports Desk | Edited by Aditya Maheshwari

Washington Sundar celebrating with Rohit Sharma after taking Steve Smith's wicket.
Washington Sundar celebrating with Rohit Sharma after taking Steve Smith's wicket. (© Instagram/@indiancricketteam)

Debutant Washington Sundar impressed everyone with his variations on Day 1 of the Brisbane Test against Australia. The off-spinner claimed a massive wicket of Steve Smith to announce his arrival at the big stage. Sundar has been part of India’s T20I set-up for the past couple of years as got the chance to make his Test debut after senior spinner Ravichandran Ashwin sustained an injury during Sydney Test. Sundar is the lone spinner in India’s playing XI for Brisbane Test.

Sundar talked about his transition from white ball to red-ball cricket and said bowling in nets helped him prepare for the Test debut.

“I have always felt my skill levels are good at red ball. I have bowled a lot at first-class level and definitely lot in first division league in Chennai (days’ format games played with red ball), so I have bowled a lot red ball. Definitely, I was waiting for this opportunity. The last couple of months I was here, I did get to bowl a lot of balls and get a chance to improve on my skill level. It was just quantity (number of overs) and I didn’t really change anything technically,” said Sundar after the day’s play while speaking to the media during a virtual interaction.

The Tamil Nadu spinner made the Test debut alongside left-arm pacer T Natarajan. Both players played for Tamil Nadu in the first-class cricket.

The two shared three important wickets of Smith, centurion Marnus Labuschagne and Matthew Wade, as India managed to restrict Australia at 274/5 at the end of the first day’s play in the fourth and final Test.

The young spinner it’s an amazing opportunity for all the rookie players.

“If you see everyone, they all have done really well in first-class cricket and it is an amazing opportunity to represent India and do really well for the Test team. More than inexperience, guys are all excited and have done well coming over here so definitely we have had time to practice and improve skill levels as well. It was an amazing opportunity for all of us. That’s how everyone looked at this game,” Sundar added.

He further talked about his maiden wicket in Test cricket – Steve Smith and said to get his wicket he had to bowl good balls over and over again.

“We had some plans for Steve Smith. But this is a different game altogether. The last game was different (Sydney, where Smith scored 131 and 81). Entire conditions were different. This game is different. I had to bowl good balls over and over again to get him out. It happened,” said Sundar, who bowled 12 dot balls at the Aussie batting mainstay before getting him out off a drive that went straight to Rohit Sharma at short mid-wicket.

“Yes, they’re a bit of nervousness but more than that, it is an amazing opportunity…we had some plans going for Smith and Labuschagne. The way I got Smudge (Smith) out. Yes felt good bowling today, first wicket definitely great,” said Sundar.

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