IPL 2025: Genuinely believed I'll be prepared whenever my opportunity comes, says Washington

New Delhi, April 7 (IANS) Washington Sundar, who sparked with a crucial knock of 49 to help Gujarat Titans (GT) beat Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) by seven wickets in IPL 2025, said he was genuinely prepared to give his best whenever an opportunity came his way.

In the chase of 153 at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium, Washington’s promotion to number four paid off as he hit 49 off 29 balls, laced with five fours and two sixes, at a strike-rate of 168.97, to help GT regain control of the chase and complete it with 20 balls to spare.

“Honestly amazing, I truly believed in the preparation that I've put in the last 3-4 weeks. I genuinely believed that whenever my opportunity comes, I'll be prepared. Definitely the way I batted, I'm very happy with it.”

“Honestly you guys were telling me that you all were cheering for me on every other ball. We are genuinely enjoying each other's success, that's amazing, that's a great space to be a part of,” said Washington to R Sai Kishore in a chat posted on iplt20.com on Monday.

Left-arm spinner Kishore’s stellar run continued when he picked figures of 2-24 to torment SRH with dismissals of Nitish Kumar Reddy and Heinrich Klaasen. “Feels good to contribute whenever the ball is coming out of the hand. I think cricket teaches you a lot of things - to get a chance, and to make a name for myself. It has actually shaped me as a person, and cricketer. So still, the same fire is there.”

He also felt grateful for all the hard work he put in paying off in IPL 2025. “Cricket is the most important thing for me in this life, it is what I dedicate my life for. It feels good to have all those 4 AMs and 4 sessions a day, practicing alone when nobody is watching and now all those things paying off.”

“As a team, I think at GT, we are playing a wonderful brand of cricket, I think we are playing as a team, we are playing, gelling together. So, lot more success to come,” he added. GT will now play against Rajasthan Royals at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on April 9.

--IANS

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