Washington Sundar, who made his debut today for India’s ODI team has just picked up a wicket — that of Lahiru Thirimanne. Sundar clean bowled the batsman who tried to reverse-sweep him, but failed miserably. We are sure Sundar’s well wishers are chuffed to see him celebrate, and we are celebrating his success too. 

If you didn’t know much about him before this, then here are some lesser facts you should know. 

He is the 7th youngest cricketer to make his debut for India

Washington Sundar is just 18 years, and has a long time to find his footing on the international stage. Not many cricketers get the chance to make a debut so early. Not even someone like Virat Kohli. Players like Sahcin Tendulkar, Parthiv Patel and Harbhajan Singh though have made their debuts at a younger age. 

He wasn’t named after the US Capital

That’s the first thing you notice about him. Imagine seeing someone named Mumbai or Delhi. But, Washington Sundar wasn’t named after the city. He was named after his father’s mentor PD Washington. 

Started off as a batsman

“One thing my dad made sure was that he didn’t want me to stand still after I finished my batting. He wanted me to try things, bowl off-spin, leg-spin, medium-pace, and keep wickets. By the time I was in sixth standard, I was able to do everything, so I had options of doing different things for different teams that I played,” he said in an interview with Firstpost. 

He credits MS Dhoni and Steven Smith for grooming him while he was part of Rising Pune Supergiants

“Just by looking at the guy who is 17 they would want to put the pressure on you straightaway. Bowling against these guys was a big challenge and I was able to hold my nerve. People like Mahi bhai (MS Dhoni) and (Steven) Smith helped me a lot to stay in the present and made sure I know what to do,” he was quoted as saying by Firstpost. 

His father was a cricketer too, but could never make it

He made it to Tamil Nadu Ranji probables, but never made it to the first team. His son is living his dream.