NEWS
Follow UsDespite India trailing by 116 runs, all-rounder Washington Sundar is confident of India's chances, stating that they can bowl out Australia within 150 in the second dig of the Melbourne Test. The all-rounder insisted that there’s still some ‘help’ for the bowlers, which they must target during day four of the clash.
“I still feel there’s something for the bowlers in this wicket. If we can bowl them out for 100-150, we can win this Test,” Washington said in the press conference.
“Generally, there’s some help for the bowlers because the sun didn’t come out a lot. It's been overcast for most parts of the game; if we can bowl the right area, if we can take our chances, I’m sure we will be able to bowl them out for 150,” he added.
Not just that, the Tamil Nadu man was also confident that they could maul down 250-300 on the last day’s play if it came to that situation.
“Every session will be important, starting from the first session tomorrow. If we can bowl out and get wickets, we can get them all out for 150. I’m sure we will be able to get to 250 or 300 on day five.”
India only find themselves in this position thanks to the 127-run partnership between Washington and centurion Nitish Kumar Reddy. The off-spinner reflected on that partnership, stating they had utmost clarity in the middle.
How did Nitish Kumar Reddy tackle the Australian demon in his maiden international century?
“To be honest, I was just focusing on what was required of me from the team. That sort of gave me a lot of clarity, it helped me focus on things I was supposed to focus on. We were very sure and aware of what the team wanted from us. The coach and the captain kept reminding us about the situation. There was absolute clarity, we were very sure.”
Washington also praised the 21-year-old Reddy, stating that it was just a matter of time before the Andhra Pradesh all-rounder scores more centuries for Men in Blue.
“It will just be a matter of time before he gets many more hundreds and celebrates in that fashion. You will see a lot of that in the future.”
“The way he batted, he deserved a hundred. We knew that the century was going to come, we knew that god was going to be kind. We were very confident that he would get to his hundred. It is an amazing experience to be part of.”
India still trail the Test by 116 runs, but the 21-year-old could be valuable if they want to take a positive result out from Melbourne, with valuable World Test Championship (WTC) points on offer.
