India’s Washington Sundar plays a shot during the 1st ODI against England at Edgbaston Stadium in Birmingham on Tuesday.
| Photo Credit: ANI
India all-rounder Washington Sundar said he is happy to bat anywhere in the order, calling the opportunity to perform different roles “exciting”.
Washington, whose role has frequently changed across formats, walked in at number five and struck an unbeaten 52 as India defeated England by six wickets in the first ODI on Tuesday (July 14, 2026).
The 26-year-old shared an unbroken 102-run stand with Axar Patel (57 not out) to guide India home after captain Shubman Gill’s fluent 80 had laid the foundation for the chase.
“The fact that I play different roles is exciting. Not many people get to play different roles. I get to play those different roles and be in those different situations,” Washington said in the post-match press conference.
“Obviously, I try my best to help the team win. It is exciting to be in different situations and different phases of the game.” Washington said head coach Gautam Gambhir, who prefers to pack the team with all-rounders, has played a key role in improving his confidence as a batter, while also acknowledging the influence of Gujarat Titans head coach Ashish Nehra.
“Gauti bhai (Gautam Gambhir) always made me understand what exactly I could do with the bat, especially, and made me understand my game as well. Even Ashish Nehra at GT has always made sure… he has helped me understand myself a lot more, be it as a person or as a cricketer on the whole,” Washington said.
“As an all-rounder, I think it is really important to keep looking to improve every single day, understand my game and, obviously, play according to the situation. Playing a lot of games also helps. You get to be in those situations, understand what exactly you can do, and you have a lot of learning as well.
“I am so grateful that I have got such people who have always had faith in my skill sets and also made me understand what exactly I could do with my different skill sets,” he added.
The Tamil Nadu cricketer said teams benefit immensely from having multiple players who can contribute with both bat and ball.
“It is such a blessing for me to be an all-rounder and I mean any team would love to have as many all-rounders as possible because you can play according to the conditions and it is always nice to have different varieties.
“You will never think like you are short in sort of options, especially going in any conditions. We play a lot of cricket around the world, the conditions are quite different and yes, it was a good day today for all of us,” he said.
The spin all-rounder praised skipper Gill for anchoring the chase and Axar for finishing the job.
“There was definitely a little bit in the wicket. Shubman batted really well, and that partnership with Shreyas Iyer was very important. The way Axar played, he got those crucial boundaries every time they were needed and made things look very easy.
“We applied ourselves really well and were happy to have won this,” he said reflecting on India’s first win on the UK tour.
Washington also reserved special praise for pacer Gurnoor Brar, who claimed 2/61 in 9 overs, including the key wickets of Ben Duckett and Jacob Bethell.
“With Gurnoor, you can always expect character. I have watched him closely over the last couple of years with the Gujarat Titans. He always gives everything, whether it is a game or a practice session.
“Players with that kind of character always step up when it matters. The way he bowled today was fabulous. He got crucial wickets at important moments and played a major part in us winning this game,” he noted.
Published – July 15, 2026 12:20 pm IST
