Washington’s stock soars high

There is an ethereal charm about watching him bat that lulls us into believing that time stands motionless even as he scans the field with the eyes of a hawk to showcase the vast array of shots oozing from his batting repertoire. 

After caressing an unbeaten 156 runs that had its genesis in elegance and silken touches against a Tripura side that didn’t know what hit it, one can rest assured that the voices will grow shriller for his progression to Team India. For more than two decades now, India has been plagued by the scourge of a woeful lack of allrounders and when the 18-year-old was asked whether he would describe himself as a batsman who could bowl or a predominantly bowling allrounder, Washington played a straight bat saying he sees himself as someone who could excel at both. 

It was the absence of Murali Vijay, through a neck sprain, that created an opening at the top and Washington said he would be happy to move down the order once the Indian opener is back. 

“I’m an opener and I love opening. But I’m ready to bat wherever my team asks me to. It feels good for any youngster to score a hundred. I got an opportunity to open the innings today and I wanted to make use of the opportunity,” said Washington. The only piece of news that would have deflated the teenager was when it was made public that he failed the Yo-Yo test, a parameter to assess a cricketer’s endurance levels. 

Washington emphasised that he is paying more attention to his fitness than ever before. “Definitely, fitness is something everyone has to focus on. Since I have been playing continually from Vijay Hazare Trophy, I didn’t get much time to do a lot of conditioning sessions. I have mostly focused on strengthening sessions. If and when I get a call from NCA to take the test again, I will definitely go. 

And this time, I’m confident of clearing it,” added Washington. In Tamil Nadu’s first Ranji match of the season against Andhra, it was felt that Washington was grossly underbowled, this after he proved his bowling prowess by taking a 11-wicket haul in the Duleep Trophy final. 

Washington, however said, he was not disheartened at being introduced late on the first day. “I know Ashwin is the premier Test bowler in the world and that he would get to bowl a major chunk of the overs. It’s easy to get frustrated. But I wasn’t even disappointed. I know when my chance comes, I will have to be ready to do well and contribute,” explained Washington.