Just before the ball, Riyan Parag told me that it would be great if he could get a catch: Washington Sundar

Team India showed their dominance in the third T20I against Zimbabwe at Harare, securing a 23-run victory and taking a 2-1 lead in the ongoing five-match series.

The match saw skipper  Shubman Gill's impressive batting performance and Washington Sundar's exceptional bowling spell, which included a remarkable dismissal predicted by teammate Riyan Parag.

With the return of key players Yashasvi Jaiswal, Sanju Samson, and Shivam Dube to the squad, India's team dynamics shifted, bringing fresh energy to the field. These three players replaced  Sai Sudharsan, Dhruv Jurel, and Riyan Parag, respectively. 

The Indian innings got off to a flying start after electing to bat first with Gill's explosive 66 off 49 balls, supported by Jaiswal's quick 36. Despite a minor setback with the loss of Abhishek Sharma, Ruturaj Gaikwad's crucial 49 off 28 balls, along with Samson's cameo, propelled India to a formidable total of 182/4 in their allotted 20 overs.

Zimbabwe's chase began disastrously, losing their top three batters for just 19 runs. It was here that Sundar stepped into the spotlight. The all-rounder revealed an intriguing detail about Johnathan Campbell's dismissal.

"Just before the ball, Riyan Parag told me that it would be great if he could get a catch because he had come in as a substitute. It was great for me to execute in that vein," Dube said at the post-match interview.

Also read: Captain Gill leads by example, another impressive outing for bowlers

I believe that I would play: Washington Sundar

Sundar's bowling strategy was particularly effective against key Zimbabwe players. The off-spinner's performance was crucial in restricting Zimbabwe to 159/6, despite a resilient partnership between Dion Myers (65* off 49) and Madande (37 off 26). Sundar's final figures of 3/15 in four overs earned him the Player of the Match award.

"The first wicket was Sikandar Raza. I knew he was going to go big right from the first ball, and I am glad to have gotten him out. Even the last one, I really wanted to take it wide because I knew he was going to look big on the on-side," Sundar added.

Also read: Why is Riyan Parag not playing third T20I?

After not getting many opportunities to play for the Sunrisers Hyderabad in the IPL 2024, the youngster is happy to represent the nation and give his best. With two more games left, Sundar is confident about the results.

"Definitely very happy. First of all, to be playing for the country in every single game and getting to perform like this itself is a huge blessing for me. Obviously, I have been preparing in my own terms though I wasn't playing a lot of games, and I believed for a fact that it would pay off whenever it had to and it's been good so far in this series. I believe that I would play. There are only a couple of spinners in the squad. So I think me and (Ravi) Bishnoi would continue playing," he concluded.