Washington Sundar claims he is ready for ODI challenge

The Indian selectors decided to give Virat Kohli a rest for the limited-overs series against Sri Lanka and in his absence, handed Rohit Sharma the reigns of the team. Along with that, the board also announced the squad for the three T20I matches and for that they picked three new faces - Baroda batsman Deepak Hooda, and Kerala quick Basil Thampi and Tamil Nadu all-rounder Sundar.

However, things got even better for the Tamil Nadu lad as the board decided to give him chance in the 50-over format as well in place of Jadhav, who picked up a hamstring injury while training, just before the first ODI which will be played in Dharamsala today. 

"An ODI call-up at this stage of my career feels great and it's an amazing moment for me. As a professional cricketer, you need to be always prepared for whatever opportunity which you get. I have been gearing up for the T20 series at the NCA. I need to tune myself on the mental front slightly from T20s to 50-overs cricket. And I'm ready for the challenge," Washington told TOI soon after his ODI selection.

In the recent past, he was on the selector's radar who rewarded the player for his consistent performances in the IPL, where he claimed eight wickets in 11 games, and domestic cricket as they picked him in the Board President's XI for the 50-overs practice match against Australia. In the match, Australia posted 347/7 and Sundar managed to perform well in front of the experienced Aussie cricketers as he claimed two wickets while giving 23 runs in eight overs.

Tamil Nadu coach and Rising Pune Supergiant assistant coach Hrishikesh Kanitkar, who closely observed Sundar’s game, had suggested his name to the Pune management and now he is hopeful that the all-rounder is ready to impress in the highest level.

"There are some people who impress in the nets, but they may not be able to transform that potential in a match situation. But I always felt Washington had that match-winning ability. He had that spark. He has the knack of delivering at the crunch time and is capable of pulling off things when it's needed most. He remains unfazed by star names in the opposite ranks," Kanitkar said.