Washington Sundar defended India’s batting approach on a day when Marco Jansen’s burst left the hosts in deep trouble in Guwahati. Speaking after stumps on Day 3, Sundar said the plans were sound even if the execution fell short, echoing almost word for word what Jansen himself had said earlier when asked about India’s aggressive response. “On another day, the bowlers would have gone into the stands and all of us would have appreciated and clapped. That’s how it is. Sometimes you just got to back their plans and their skill sets as well,” Sundar said, backing Rishabh Pant’s decision to take on Jansen before edging the short ball for 7. Dhruv Jurel had fallen to a similar shot earlier in the innings. He added that India’s batters had shown enough evidence in the past to trust their choices. “Given the fact that they have shown a lot of proof and evidence in the past as well. I think it is just about them backing their skill sets. Obviously, execution didn’t go the way we wanted,” he said. Sundar, with 48, who had the highest individual score for India after Yashasvi Jaiswal, , also dismissed suggestions that the pitch had turned hostile when Jansen hit a difficult length. “It wasn’t a snake pit or whatever you may call it. It was a very good wicket. It was a true wicket… If you spend time there, runs are there for the taking,” he said, adding that the bounce Jansen extracted had more to do with his height than the surface. “It wasn’t uneven at all. He is obviously the tallest going around and he gets that bit of a sharp bounce off good length.”
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Despite being moved from No. 3 in the previous Test to No. 8 in this one, Sundar said the shifting roles had not unsettled him. “I would say I am the happiest to bat wherever the team wants me to bat… This is a team game,” he said, calling the opportunity to adapt “exciting.” With South Africa holding a 314-run lead after Jansen’s 6/48 dismantled India, Sundar maintained a calm optimism about what lies ahead. “Got to stay positive in life. You never know what will happen,” he said, even as the visitors tightened their grip on the match and the series.
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