Washington Sundar is emerging as one of India’s most dependable spin-bowling all-rounders. The 24-year-old from Tamil Nadu recently made headlines with a match-saving century during the fourth Test against England at Old Trafford in Manchester. On the final day, Sundar shared an unbeaten 203-run stand with Ravindra Jadeja. Both players scored centuries to help India draw the Test. Sundar remained not out on 101 off 206 balls with nine boundaries and a six.
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Born on October 5, 1999, in Chennai, Sundar comes from a humble background. His father, M Sundar, M Sundar, a former Ranji probable named his son Washington in honour of a well-wisher who supported his cricket journey. Sundar is a left-handed batter and a right-arm off-spinner. He began his domestic career with Tamil Nadu and gained attention during the 2017–18 Ranji Trophy season.
He represented India in the 2016 Under-19 World Cup and later made his T20I debut against Sri Lanka in December 2017. He made his ODI debut in July 2021, while his Test debut came in January 2021 during the historic Brisbane match against Australia in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy. In that match he took three wickets in the first innings including Steve Smith. He then scored 67 runs in a 123-run stand with Shardul Thakur which helped India come back from a tough position. Later, he scored 22 runs in the final innings and added a key partnership with Rishabh Pant to guide India to a historic series win.
Ever since the iconic Brisbane win, Washington Sundar has steadily built his name as a dependable spin-bowling all-rounder. So far, Sundar has played 12 Test matches and scored 673 runs in 22 innings at an average of 44.86. His record includes one century and four fifties. With the ball, he has picked up 32 wickets at an average of 27.87 and has a best of 7 for 59. That performance came against New Zealand at Pune where he dismantled the batting order and ended the series as the leading wicket-taker with 16 wickets. However, India lost that series 3-0.
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He initially got limited chances under previous team managements. However, under new head coach Gautam Gambhir, he has started to get regular opportunities and has made them count. In the ongoing series against England, he has scored 205 runs in six innings at an average above 51 and claimed seven wickets. He took four wickets in a single innings at Lord’s.
During the 2024–25 Border-Gavaskar Trophy in Australia, Sundar had another notable performance. At the Melbourne Cricket Ground, he shared a 127-run partnership with Nitish Kumar Reddy. Sundar scored a half-century and helped India recover after conceding a 100-plus run lead. He scored 114 runs and took three wickets in that series.
Sundar made his IPL debut in 2017 as a replacement for R Ashwin in the Rising Pune Supergiant team. He picked up eight wickets in 11 matches at an economy rate of 6.16. He later played four seasons with Royal Challengers Bengaluru and then joined Sunrisers Hyderabad. In the 2025 IPL mega auction, Gujarat Titans bought him for Rs 3.2 crore.
India had been searching for a reliable off-spinner who could also contribute with the bat after Ravichandran Ashwin’s retirement. Sundar may still have a long way to go before being mentioned in the same league as Ashwin, but he has shown promise with the bat and steady performances with the ball. His displays in Australia, England and India suggest that he is on the right path to becoming one of the top spin-bowling all-rounders of the modern era. With more experience, he could become one of the pillars of India’s future Test team.
