Published: Jan 29, 2018, 01:09 PM (IST)
Edited: Jan 29, 2018, 01:04 PM (IST)
Washington Sundar made his debut in IPL in the previous edition for Rising Pune Supergiant (RPS). He replaced injured Ravichandran Ashwin and was an instant hit. He went on to impress MS Dhoni and Steven Smith as he picked 8 wickets from 11 matches at 23.12. He then represented India in T20I and ODI last year against Sri Lanka playing a match each in both the formats. Now, Sundar is set to share the dressing room with Virat Kohli and AB de Villiers. Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) bagged Sundar’s services for INR 3.3 crores during the 2018 IPL auctions.
Sundar in an interview with PTI expressed his happiness on being picked by RCB, especially playing alongside Kohli and de Villiers:
“I am a big fan of Virat Kohli and AB de Villiers”
“I am delighted to have been picked up by RCB. I am a big fan of Virat Kohli and AB de Villiers. It will be a priceless experience to play with them after having played alongside MS Dhoni for (Rising) Pune Supergiant last year. Having played with MSD in last year’s IPL and imbibed a lot of good things and now I feel it will be a blessing to be in Kohli’s team. I can learn a lot by watching them from close quarters. My aim is to keep improving and perform to the best of my ability in every opportunity I get.”
Sundar’s father was equally thrilled as his son would be playing with a star studded side. He was also delighted that his son was picked for more money unlike last year where he was sold for his base price.
“I can’t express my happiness in words. It is a great opportunity for him. He will be part of a good team with a lot of big names to boot. He can learn a lot. Last year, he was bought for his base price (by RPS). But he got recognised for his performances and earned a national call-up. I believe IPL is the No.1 tournament in the world. It is a huge platform for youngsters and has helped my son. To be able to play alongside some of the biggest names in the game at a young age is a big boost to any cricketer,” said Sundar’s father.
Tim Southee, Chris Woakes, Moeen Ali, Colin de Grandhomme and Brendon McCullum are set to add some star element to RCB.
