All the sides that Washington Sundar plays for should make better use of his batting ability: WV Raman

After securing the T20I series, team India were handed a seven-wicket defeat in the first ODI of the series against New Zealand in Auckland. Batting first, the Shikhar Dhawan-led side posted 306 on board after 50 overs but in the end, Tom Latham and Kane Williamson chased down the total with ease. 

Now, despite losing the game, there were multiple positives for the Men in Blue in the first ODI. Shreyas Iyer’s return back to form, Umran Malik’s impressive show with the new ball and, Washington Sundar’s capabilities as a finisher garnered a lot of attention on Friday, November 25.

After a slow start by Shikhar Dhawan and Shubman Gill, team India needed an explosive innings in the end to cross the 300-figure mark. That’s when Sundar stepped up and played a blistering knock, scoring 37 off 16 deliveries at the Eden Park in Auckland. With that, he surged past Suresh Raina and became the fastest Indian to score 30+ runs on New Zealand soil.

Sundar’s innings mesmerised a lot of former cricketers including former India women’s coach, WV Raman. 57-year-old Raman reminded everyone about Sundar's batting abilities and asked all the teams that the youngster plays for to give him more opportunities as a batter in the coming days.

“I may get trolled, nonetheless I am going to say what needs to be. All the sides that @Sundarwashi5 plays for should make better use of his batting ability. @TNCACricket must set the ball rolling..” tweeted the former India international after Washington’s superb innings.

Shikhar Dhawan points out India’s mistake in first ODI

Despite putting a healthy total on the board, the Men in Blue failed to defend it. Latham and captain Williamson dominated the Indian bowlers and made the run chase look comparatively easy despite Umran Malik giving India a perfect start with the ball.

As per India's stand-in captain Shikhar Dhawan, the momentum shifted completely in the 40th over when Latham smashed Shardul Thakur for 25 runs in the over. The 36-year-old also stated that the team needs to implement its plans more wisely in order to win the second ODI of the series.

“Have to plan accordingly. Today we've bowled short of length and Latham (Tom) attacked us there. That's where he took the game away from us especially in the 40th over. That's where the momentum shifted. We need to implement our plans more wisely and make sure we don't make the batsmen play on their strength,” Dhawan said after the first ODI as quoted by Cricbuzz.