‘Dangerous combo’: Washington Sundar hails teen sensation Vaibhav Sooryavanshi’s skill

Sano: India’s off-spin bowling all-rounder Washington Sundar said teenaged batting sensation Vaibhav Sooryavanshi’s razor-sharp cricketing acumen paired with raw talent makes him a lethal force capable of winning matches single-handedly for the country.

“He’s just extremely skillful and obviously, he’s got a great head as well. He understands his own game and also understands how to win battles against different oppositions and different conditions as well.

“He’s extremely smart and being really smart along with his skill sets, along with the kind of skill sets that he’s got, is obviously going to be a dangerous combo. He’s already shown us what he’s capable of and obviously, we can all expect him to win a lot of games for our country and we’re just going to experience him,” Sundar told reporters ahead of one-off T20I against Japan, to be played on Tuesday.

He also invited sports enthusiasts in Japan to make a trip to India during the next IPL season and experience how cricket is nothing short of a religion in the country. “You guys should just come to India and especially during a big series or even during an IPL and understand how big is cricket in India. Cricket is like a religion in India.

“Everybody celebrates through the game and obviously, it’s a massive blessing for all of us to be playing cricket in India and being from India and also to be playing at the highest level for the country is a massive blessing,” he observed.

Reflecting on his personal journey and the cultural weight the sport carries in the country, Sundar highlighted how deep-rooted the game’s love is across generations. “Cricket itself is a very beautiful sport and obviously, India has been playing cricket for a very, very long time and the amount of people who play cricket in India is also massive. All of us have just grown with the game and the sport.

“For me personally, it’s always been cricket right from the childhood and yes, that would be the case with most of the people in India as well. It’s just a massive blessing for all of us to be playing cricket in India.”

Crediting the Indian Premier League (IPL) for setting the gold standard in global T20 franchise cricket, Chennai-based Sundar pointed out how the league has grown exponentially while maintaining top-notch quality since its inception in 2008. IANS

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