‘Make a place for him. He has everything that should be there in a superstar’

Washington Sundar shone with the bat and hit a half century to take Team India to a respectable total of 219/10 in 47.3 overs, against hosts New Zealand in the third One-Day International(ODI) on Wednesday. India were under pressure with the top five batters dismissed and the scorecard reading 121/5 in 25.3 overs, when Washington came in to bat. He stitched crucial partnerships with the lower order and tail-enders to prevent the Kiwis from bundling India under 200.

The left-handed batter was the sixth highest run-getter in the ODI series, scoring 88 runs in three matches at an average of 88.00. In the absence of all-rounders Ravindra Jadeja and Axar Patel, Washington impressed cricket experts with his all-round skills. Former India opener Aakash Chopra lavished praised on him and called the 23-year-old a proper all-rounder on whom Team India management should invest.

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"Make a place for Washington Sundar. If you invest in him properly and he doesn't get injured, he comes with a fragile sticker, going ahead he could be Indian cricket's rockstar. If you see cricketing-wise, just his skill level, the potential the guy has, he has everything that should be there in a superstar," said Chopra on his YouTube channel.

The former cricketer highlighted India's search for a suitable pair to Ravindra Jadeja and compared Washington to all the options available.

"The number at which you are searching for an all-rounder, you stop at just one guy, who is Ravindra Jadeja. Then you extend your thinking a little bit and feel that you can keep Axar Patel. Then you think whether Ashwin can take that spot," said the former India opener.

"I believe Washington Sundar is a proper all-rounder, he is not an illusionary all-rounder. He showed in this entire series that if you give him the opportunities, he can bowl as well, he will give 10 overs if the conditions are even slightly favorable. In T20 cricket also he bowls for you with the new ball," he concluded.

Washington has been a star name in the Indian Premier League(IPL) for quite some time now. He had grabbed eyeballs having played a significant role in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy title triumph on Australian soil in 2020-21.

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