IPL 2018 | It was amazing to play under Virat Kohli, reveals Washington Sundar

Both Washington Sundar and Royal Challengers Bangalore didn’t have an IPL season they would have hoped for. While RCB was could not qualify for the playoffs, the Tamil Nadu allrounder could only take 4 wickets in 7 matches. After some promising performance for Rising Pune Supergiants in his debut IPL season last year and winning the Man-of-the-Series for India in the Nidahas Trophy, Sundar would have expected to play a more prominent role for RCB. The 18-year old, though, has taken it in his stride and focused on the positives from his campaign.     

“The experience was very good. To be honest, playing or not playing depends on the selection group. There are a lot of things involved when it comes to making the playing XI in IPL – four foreign players, team combination etc. It’s not disappointing at all. Whenever you play a long tournament like the IPL, there are a lot of things you learn irrespective of how you do,” he said to TOI.

With Sundar getting picked for the ODI and T20I series in England, he insisted that he would not be looking to do anything differently and would mentally prepare himself for all the aspects of the game. He asserted that if he could prepare himself mentally then, he would be able to perform well.  

“I have never played cricket in England before. The challenge will be to get the best out of myself in those conditions. I should not be looking to do things too differently. I just need to be mentally prepared in all aspects. If I can do that, I have the belief that results will go my way and I can succeed there,” he assessed.

The upcoming tour would be the first time Sundar would be a part of the full-strength Indian side under the leadership of Virat Kohli. He insisted that the past couple of months under Kohli were amazing and he has learnt a lot of things from him. 

“It was amazing to play under Kohli. There are so many things to learn from the way he carries himself and the kind of intensity he brings. You cannot blink when you are playing with him. As captain, he gave me a lot of inputs in terms of strategies and tactics. It definitely helps being around senior players if you are up for it and keen to learn as much as possible,” he said.

Aside from Kohli, Sundar also had the chance to share the dressing room with AB de Villiers at RCB. He too was shocked by the sudden retirement announcement of the South African and went on to add that he could have easily played for another 3-4 years. 

“AB’s retirement has come as a shock. The way he moves around in the crease and in the field, anybody would want him to play for the next 3-4 years at least. Every player goes through certain things and they might want to take these tough decisions. Cricket will miss him,” he added.