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Indian all-rounder Washington Sundar expressed gratitude after returning to the No. 3 spot for Tamil Nadu in the Ranji Trophy. The left-handed batter made the most of the opportunity, scoring 152 against Delhi away from home. His innings comprised one six and 19 boundaries.
For the unversed, Sundar began his first-class career as an opening batter in 2016-17 but has largely batted in the lower middle order, usually at No. 8.
Washington Sundar told ESPNcricinfo:
“It was a decision by the management, and I am grateful for the opportunity. I knew it was going to be a good opportunity for me to bat at No. 3 and I am glad I was able to contribute.”
“I definitely consider myself a top-order batter. I'm very happy with the kind of opportunity I got, to bat at No. 3. For me, one thing is very important - I need to be able to do whatever the team demands. It is a team game. That is what I always think about. Hopefully, I can deliver such knocks consistently,” he added.
“Definitely yes” – Washington Sundar keen to play at No. 3 this Ranji season
Washington Sundar wishes to continue to bat at the top order after his century in the Ranji Trophy. He added in the same interaction:
"Definitely yes. I have been feeling very confident about my skills and how I have been batting in the last few years especially. I have just been trying to focus on what the team demands me to do, no matter what the situation is. But batting at the top of the order is a lot of fun."
Sundar further expressed his gratitude at playing for the Men in Blue as he aims to represent India in Tests. The all-rounder, who last played T20I series against Bangladesh, said:
“It is exciting, isn't it? You get to play all formats and get a number of opportunities.”
“Obviously, Test cricket is the ultimate format. Everybody values it a lot. For me, red-ball cricket means a lot. Hopefully, I can play a lot of games and keep performing really well," he added.
Washington Sundar has established himself as a backup all-rounder for Ravindra Jadeja and Axar Patel.
As far as the match is concerned, Tamil Nadu declared their first innings at 674/6. Sai Sudharsan and Pradosh Ranjan Paul also chipped in with double ton and century, respectively. In response, Delhi were 103/3 at the time of writing on Day 3.
Follow Ranji Trophy live score and updates here.
