Time. Gifted hitters always seem to have more of that.
On Friday, James Anderson threw a perfectly good ball to Washington Sundar: leaning from around the wicket, pitching at a good length, heading for the stump.
Anderson had just fired Rishabh Pant, who had given him an absolute hammering during this spell with the second new ball. Anderson must have felt that the worst was over, and he could hope to finish his spell in an atmosphere of peace and tranquility.
Like.
It was a perfectly good ball, and Sundar hit four. He stood there, leaning slightly forward, and waited. If you have an extra split second, why not enjoy it? He waited, let the ball reach him, and drove it to the right of midfield, finishing with his front elbow pointing up.
Time. Long time.
Sundar had walked India 146-for-6 in response to England’s 205. Since then, he had batted in a bubble of serene self-assurance, never looking rushed against the pace or the spin, shuffling his feet economically but decisively at all times, getting right behind. the line and just above the short ball, and moving safely on the front foot each time it is thrown up. His shots were full of nice straight lines in most cases, but every now and then there was a moment of opportunism that spoke to his cue ball nous: a token about the extra coverage of Dom Bess’s deflection while he was still at 7. , a skinning with both feet off the ground over a ravine when Ben Stokes threw the second new ball.
All this from issue 8, but nothing unexpected. All expectations were met and exceeded at the Gabba in January, and then immediately reassessed.
This wasn’t No. 8. This was a first-order hitter who was hitting No. 8.
On Saturday, Sundar was hitting 96. A month ago in Chennai, she had run out of teammates with 15 remaining from a one-hundred-singles tryout. Now there seemed little threat of a recurrence. India had three wickets remaining, and the couple in the middle, Sundar and Axar Patel, had placed 106.
Then, in the space of five balls, India was out. Sundar watched the last four balls from the end of the non-forward. After the last wicket fell, the producers cut off their reaction. There was no noticeable change in his expression, he always seems to look placidly into the middle distance, keeping his thoughts to himself, but was there a slight softening around the lids? Did you turn around and go back to the dressing room with a little more urgency than you would have done otherwise?
Who can say?
Later in the afternoon, when India had achieved victory, Star Sports interviewed Sundar on the pitch.
“No, no. Not at all disappointed,” he said, when asked the inevitable question. “When the time is right for me to get a hundred, it will come, I feel, and yes, definitely very, very happy that I contributed, especially on those couple of innings, and you know, in whatever way I can contribute. team, and if the team can be successful with that, I’m the happiest person. “
Time. When the time is right, it will come. And at 21, there is plenty of time to relax before Sundar.
But again, when will your time come? A bizarre injury crisis gave him his shot at test cricket, at a time when he hadn’t played a first-class match in over three years. He has seized that opportunity as well as anyone could have, but when everyone is back in shape, where will Sundar fit in this India lineup?
Right now, Sundar’s test record encapsulates exactly what it is: three fifty in six innings, two of them undefeated, and six wickets in four tests averaging 49.83. He may have gained more attention as a smart and restrictive secondary player in T20 cricket, but he has always been a first hitter, be it as a 12-year-old league cricketer in Chennai or as a test cricketer. at 21.
R. Ashwin, who started life as a first-rate hitter before detour came to define him, has seen Sundar a lot, both in the cricket league and as his teammate in Tamil Nadu.
“Washy bowled in some of the IPL franchises, and he rose to fame for his power play bowling and all that, [but] it’s quite surprising that people don’t recognize that he grew up his entire life as a hitter who can bowl, “Ashwin said during his postgame press conference on Saturday.” I’m not at all surprised by his hitting ability. He works really hard on his hitting, in fact, to a point where we sometimes have discussions about how he should pitch more as well. He loves to hit, he’s a natural hitter, so I’m not surprised at all. He’s a pretty special hitter. “
At age 21, there are many directions in which Sundar’s career could evolve. Two of them are represented by two first-choice cricketers who will soon return from injury: Hanuma Vihari, a specialized mid-order hitter who throws a little spin, and Ravindra Jadeja, a true spinning bowling all-rounder.
In the long run, if Sundar can develop his deflection to the point where he throws accurately at his current pace while giving the ball a bigger rip, he has the potential to become a true all-rounder. But at this stage, his game seems closer to Vihari’s than Jadeja’s.
Still, he is unlikely to impersonate Vihari on the India squad (although he could be a part of it alongside him) when they begin their next mission, a long series of test matches in England. As good as he is, India is unlikely to play Sundar in a situation where they want a specialized sixth hitter on the road, when their first choice becomes available.
But in the long run, the possibilities are endless. When asked what his advice would be for Sundar when he returns and plays for Tamil Nadu again, Ashwin suggested that he should improve the order as often as possible.
“I’m not in a position to tell Washy to open or hit at three,” Ashwin said. “But ideally, if there’s an upcoming talent like him, it makes logical sense when he comes back to his state team, to hit No. 3 or No. 4. In fact, Washy is a starting bat. I think he should come back. to first-class cricket and probably start opening or hitting at 3. Like I said before, Washy is a semma (tremendous) hitter, there’s no question about it. “
There is no question, but for now Sundar will have to wait a little longer for another incline in a Test Hundred. You have much time.
Karthik Krishnaswamy is a senior deputy editor at ESPNcricinfo
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