India all-rounder joins Hampshire for final two rounds of County Championship

India all-rounder Washington Sundar joined Hampshire for the final two rounds of the County Championship. He was one of the probables to travel with the national team to the UAE for the ongoing Asia Cup, but the team management preferred Axar Patel, Varun Chakaravarthy, and Kuldeep Yadav in the spin department. Hence, ahead of the home international season, Washington joined the English club to not just keep him fit, but to stay in the reckoning for the Test side.

Notably, the all-rounder was part of the India squad that travelled to England for the five-match Test series in June. In the series, he scored 284 runs in four matches at an average of 47.33. This includes a brilliant century at Old Trafford, which helped the Shubman Gill-led side save the fourth Test. With the ball, the 25-year-old picked up seven wickets at an average of 38.57.

“Indian all-rounder Washington Sundar will join Hampshire for the final two rounds of the Rothesay County Championship. It will be Sundar’s first taste of county cricket since 2022, when he represented Lancashire in the County Championship and One Day Cup; he picked up a five-for on debut against Northamptonshire,” Hampshire confirmed Sundar’s arrival via an official statement.

He will play a key role: Giles White

Hampshire Director of Cricket Giles White expects Washington to play a major role in Hampshire’s final two County games of the season, that is against Somerset and Surrey, respectively.

“We’re delighted to bring Washington to the club for the County Championship. He had an excellent series against England this summer and he’ll play a key role with two big games coming up against Somerset and Surrey,” said White in a statement.

Meanwhile, Washington has played 40 First-Class matches in his career, scoring 1885 runs. He also has 91 wickets to his name in the longest format.