The 23-year-old India National Cricket Team spin-bowling all-rounder Washington Sundar was delighted after playing a terrific quickfire knock in the first One Day International game against New Zealand National Cricket Team.

The first of the three ODIs between Shikhar Dhawan-led India National Cricket Team and Kane Williamson-led New Zealand National Cricket Team is being played at Eden Park in Auckland on Friday (November 25).

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India lost the toss and were invited to bat first in the match. They got off to a good start as the openers Shikhar Dhawan and Shubman Gill smashed half-centuries and had a 124-run stand. However, soon India lost back-to-back wickets and slipped to 160/4.

Then, Shreyas Iyer, who initially looked scratchy, smashed a brilliant 80 runs and brought India back into the game while finding good company from Sanju Samson and Washington Sundar.

In the end, Sundar played an amazing knock while batting at No.7 to take the Men In Blue past 300. He smashed 37 runs off 16 balls, including 3 fours and 3 sixes.

It’s very important to get the timing right, despite the power – Washington Sundar

Speaking to the host broadcaster after the innings, Sundar, who batted with a great strike rate of 231.25, said that his hard work paid off. He added that for smashing boundaries, getting the timing right is very important. Washington Sundar also said that the total of 306/7 is a par score. He said:

“All the work I put in worked today. There is some program that needs to be done before the ball is bowled, but there are instincts too… It’s very important to get the timing right, despite the power. It’s a par score.”

Notably, a 300-plus total has only been successfully chased down once in ODI cricket in Auckland. The Black Caps chased 337 in 2007 against Australia.

Also Read: IND vs NZ: “I Want Sanju Samson To Get All The Opportunities” – Ravichandran Ashwin