It was very very disappointing not to play the World Cup, says Washington Sundar

Team India’s young off-spin all-rounder Washington Sundar has admitted that being away from the game for a long time due to injury was challenging for him. However, he added that he utilized the time to try and improve his skills.

The youngster, however, missed out on the T20 World Cup 2021 due to a finger injury. He was ruled out of the South Africa ODIs also after testing positive for COVID-19. On Sunday, he returned to Team India during the first ODI against West Indies and claimed 3 for 30.

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Speaking on his time away from the game due to injury, he said at a post-match press conference: “There were a lot of challenges but I just wanted to do what I could do to improve myself as a cricketer. That’s all that’s in my control and I was only focusing on that. Yes, there will always be challenges, that’s something that I have realised especially in the last couple of years. But what matters is how I push myself, keep getting better at the aspects that I want to and keep improving myself. I’ve tried to focus on it.”

He shared that missing out on the T20 World Cup in the UAE was a huge disappointment. At the same time, he stated that with two World Cups coming up, he can still get a chance to leave his mark as well.

Washington Sundar elaborated: “It was very very disappointing to have lost out on a chance to play the World Cup. But yes, there are two World Cups in the next 15-16 months, so that should be my focus.”

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Sunday’s match against West Indies was Sundar’s first international appearance since the white-ball series against England in March last year at home. While speaking about his impactful performance, he shared that he kept things simple and bowled according to the plans. The second ODI will take place in Ahmedabad on Wednesday, February 9.

“I was just bowling to my strength and of course we had some plans for their batsmen. We just wanted to execute the plans and it was heartening to get off. I am happy that I could bowl to my strengths,” Washington Sundar concluded.