India’s all-rounder Washington Sundar gave credit to Ashish Nehra for his impressive performance in the five-match Test series against England. Sundar scored 284 runs in four Test matches at an average of 47.33 whereas he also picked seven wickets at an average of 38.57.
The left-hander scored an unbeaten knock of 101 runs in the second innings at Old Trafford, Manchester and played a key role in helping India draw that game.
Sundar revealed he did a lot of batting practice during IPL 2025 and Ashish Nehra played a key role in his success.
“I was with Ashish Nehra at GT in the IPL. In this IPL, the amount of batting preparation I did, I have never played that much in my life. He gave me that much batting. The things I did there helped me in this match. It was the last wicket and I had to hit so the power hitting definitely helped. Whether it was GT’s support staff or our whole prep culture, everything helped me in many ways. So, it was a super moment,” he said in an episode on 1983 World Cup winner Krishnamachari Srikkanth’s YouTube channel ‘Cheeky Cheeka’.
Sundar revealed that he tried to put the outside noise and pressure on the backburner and gave credit to head coach Gautam Gambhir for instilling confidence in him.
“Some things, we always keep in mind while batting. When we are only focused on those things, the outside noise or what others are saying, or the pressure from the outside, it won’t be there. I mean, I am sure. It won’t be there. So, I was genuinely only focused on a couple of things. One, obviously, being watching the ball really closely. And, I just trusted my instincts. I believed that I could actually do it for the team. And, I believed that I could play two and a half sessions. And, obviously, my coach believed a lot. Pant did not bat in that innings. As a team, it was great to draw that match with such a performance,” he added.
On the other hand, Shubman Gill scored 754 runs in five Test matches while leading for the first time in the red-ball version. Sundar revealed Gill was very calm as a leader in English conditions.
“With his leadership, he was very calm. Obviously, playing against England, we always expected them to be a little aggressive with their approach. And the conditions are also quite different. But, his calm nature was evident in all situations. Especially, when we were fielding, he was very calm. And he was just telling us what we needed to do in those situations, and not really think too far ahead,” he said.
Sundar is part of the reserve players’ list for the Asia Cup.
