New Delhi, July 28 Indian all-rounder Washington Sundar shared his emotions after scoring his maiden Test century in Manchester and said that every century matters but this one means a lot and revealed coach Gautam Gambhir's message of "fighting through the entire day" in an effort to secure a draw.
Sundar, who came to bat at No. 5 for the first time, scored an unbeaten 101 in an unbroken 203-run fifth-wicket stand with Ravindra Jadeja (107 not out). The duo's brilliant stand for the fifth wicket saw India through to complete a draw.
"It feels very special. Honestly, it's difficult to put this feeling into words because a Test hundred is something truly unique. Every century matters, but this one means a lot. I got the opportunity to bat at No. 5, and my only focus was to fight for an entire day. That was the only message from the coach as well. I'm just really glad we managed to draw this match," Sundar said on JioHotstar.
At lunch, India trailed by 88 runs with six wickets in hand. Sundar and Jadeja managed to overtake England’s lead, and India were 11 runs ahead at tea.
The final session saw more fight from Jadeja and Sundar as the duo closed on their respective hundreds. Jadeja achieved the landmark in the 141st over while Sundar got to it in the 143rd over. As India reached 425/4, with less than an hour left, both sides shook hands to call it a draw.
"We just wanted to play to the merit of the ball, especially with the wicket offering something to both seamers and spinners. Our focus was to stay disciplined and give everything we could. To experience the moments we did today, especially after managing to draw the game, feels amazing.
"I think the whole team played really well throughout the Test match, and now it's going to be even more exciting heading into the next one," Sundar added.
Former India cricketer Sanjay Manjrekar analysed Sundar's impact and its implications for India's team balance ahead of the final Test.
"You've got to look at him as a proper all-rounder now. You can increasingly see Ravindra Jadeja becoming more of a batting all-rounder because his bowling hasn't contributed as much in this series. Washington Sundar, on the other hand, has picked up wickets as well -he's an off-spinner who can easily be selected as a specialist spinner.
"This changes India's thinking. They won't be considering an extra batter anymore; instead, they might start looking at Kuldeep Yadav for the next Test. That's the impact this partnership has had.
"Even without Rishabh Pant, India might stick with these two all-rounders to strengthen the batting. Sundar probably stays at No. 5 now. If Dhruv Jurel plays in the next match, he may have to slot in a position lower," said Manjrekar.
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