15 October,2020 07:22 AM IST | Mumbai | Subodh Mayure
RCBu00c3u00a2u00c2u0080u00c2u0099s Washington Sundar during their match against Chennai Super Kings at the Dubai International Stadium. Pic: BCCI/IPL
Royal Challengers Bangalore off-spinner Washington Sundar currently has the best economy rate among spinners in this IPL, at 4.90. He now wants to win matches with his bat too.
"I would really love to win a match for RCB with my bat. I worked hard on my batting throughout the [Coronavirus-caused] lockdown phase and continued it here. I should definitely be able to perform well with the bat in the near future and hopefully, that will lead to winning a lot of matches thereafter," Sundar said during an online media interaction from Sharjah on Wednesday ahead of their match against Kings XI Punjab. Sundar, 21, who was promoted to No. 5 against Chennai Super Kings ahead of attacking batsman Shivam Dube, scored 10 off 10 in RCB's 37-run triumph.
"I have particularly been working on my power-hitting. I think it's all about knowing where your options are and where you have to target different bowlers," added Sundar.
While bowling in the Powerplay during the high scoring match against Mumbai Indians in Dubai last month, Sundar returned impressive figures of 4-0-12-1. He attributed his success to skipper Virat Kohli's belief in him.
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"I think it has a lot to do with clarity. You should know what you're supposed to do and the process that you follow. I'm glad that Virat has shown so much confidence in me and thrown the ball to me during the Powerplay and other crucial junctures.
"It means a lot for any player to see a captain have so much belief and confidence in you, and more so for a youngster like me," said Sundar, who has claimed five wickets from seven games so far.
Sundar explained how he manages to restrict batsmen, who are looking to hit big shots: "It's all about releasing the ball as late as possible and after you have seen the batsman's foot movement.
"This gives you a better chance of anticipating what he is going to do, where he is going to try and hit you. The late release gives you a better chance to read a batsman."
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