Washington Sundar’s sister opens up on Gautam Gambhir’s support and their growing bond

Washington Sundar's sister reveals how coach Gautam Gambhir helped her brother. (Photos: Instagram and ICC)

It's no secret that India's head coach, Gautam Gambhir, adores players who can multitask. He also adores cricketers who can play any part. So, Washington Sundar is a good fit.

Washington's sister Shailaja Sundar said in an interview with NDTV's Tea, Toast and Sports Podcast, "I think it's fantastic and the way Gauti bhai (Gautam Gambhir) is supporting or encouraging a youngster like Washi so that he is able to perform at that level. I think Gauti bhai likes his ability to perform in whatever situation he is thrust into, soak up the pressure well."

The coach's hopes were met by the all-rounder in the just finished series against England. Washington scored 284 runs at an average of 47.33 in 4 Test matches, which was impressive. In the drawn Test in Manchester, he scored his first Test century and played a crucial role. As a sign of his support for Sundar, Gautam Gambhir chose him over Kuldeep Yadav in order to bolster India's batting.

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"The kind of opportunities Gauti bhai gave Washi in recent times has been fantastic. And I think Washi is also making the best use of it. He has also been performing really well.  He's vindicating Gauti bhai's trust," Shailaja said.

"I only wish their wonderful bond grows, for the best of the Indian cricket team. I think both of them are working to give their best, to bring the best result."

She began playing cricket eight years before the 'child prodigy' in their family. She played cricket for Tamil Nadu and has also experimented with broadcasting. Washington and Shailaja used to open together to give their teams a left-hand and right-hand advantage.

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"We used to play together and open the innings for our team", she said. "I'm a right-hander and he's a left-hander. The right-left combination used to work. We used to build really good partnerships. All of those are lovely memories now."

The sister, who helped her well-known brother develop his cricket skills in his early years, misses all of the banter and cricket conversations. But like Gautam Gambhir, she feels that Washington Sundar's ascent is a true vindication.