I trust Mahi Bhai's instincts blindly: Washington Sundar

17-year-old Washington Sundar who is a part of the Rising Pune Supergiant squad in the IPL has already made a name for himself with his off spin bowling and was instrumental in keeping Mumbai Indians under check in the Qualifier 1 which Pune eventually won by 20 runs. He bagged 3 prized wickets of Rohit Sharma, Ambati Rayudu and Kieron Pollard to peg the hosts back and from there on, it was a downward slide for Mumbai.

Sundar who made a name for himself in the U-19 World Cup as a top order batsman has managed to realise his dream of rubbing shoulders with some of the greats in the game not through his batting skills but with his bowling. Steve Smith has used him brilliantly in the powerplay overs and the teenager has responded in a terrific fashion.

Sundar grew up idolising MS Dhoni and it can’t get better for him that he is getting the opportunity to share the same dressing room with the great man. During an exclusive interview with Times of India, the offie shared his rapport with Dhoni and how he has benefited from his inputs. “I don’t think you can have a better person behind the stumps than Mahi bhai. He is the first person I approach whenever I need to know what the batsman is trying to do. His inputs, which are simple, create a huge impact,” Sundar said.

On asked to reveal some of the instances when his inputs worked Sundar said, “There are not just one but many occasions when his inputs did wonders. Mahi bhai is not only a great wicketkeeper but also a fantastic reader of the game. There have been occasions when I have faced a dilemma and in each of those instances, I have gone on to follow exactly what he has asked me to. I really trust Mahi bhai’s instincts”.

Rohit Sharma and Kieron Pollard’s wicket gave him the most satisfaction

He also revealed that the prized wickets of Rohit Sharma and Kieron Pollard in Qualifier 1 gave him utmost satisfaction. “I thought the wickets of Rohit Sharma and Kieron Pollard in the first qualifier in Mumbai were quite satisfying. Both are top-quality players and to get their wickets gave me a lot of self-belief. Also, the wicket of Corey Anderson – stumped by Mahi bhai – in the game against Delhi was memorable. The ball moved away from Corey and Dhoni had the bails off in a flash,” Sundar added.

Sundar was happy with the fact that despite his batting not getting fully utilised he is happy that his bowling skills are giving him the opportunity to be part of the Playing XI. “The biggest positive for me in this season has been that I have evolved as an off-spinner. It doesn’t bother me that my batting skills have been under-utilized as long as I am getting to play a game. I am just 17 and getting to contribute in some way for my franchise is what keeps me motivated.”

Need to stick to the basics: Sundar

The teenager added that currently he wants to stick to the basics and as time comes he will surely like to add some more variations to his repertoire. “Doing the simple things is never easy. Only if you do those simple things for a prolonged period of time, you would be a successful player. As of now, I am happy with what I am doing. I don’t want to experiment and do anything different. But going forward, I would want to add more variations,” the teenager signed off.