The Indian all-rounder is often considered as one of the accused behind Ravichandran Ashwin's Test retirement, is now an important member in the T20 squad too, getting his call for the 2026 T20 Men's World Cup. Starting as an opener in his first-class debut, Washi has the Test of almost all batting careers throughout his career. In Test, preferably, he has been used from number 3 to 9, as and when needed. While in the white ball format, he has predominantly been a lower-order batter coming with spin bowling skills. However, Washington Sundar has been one of the forgotten heroes India have had. Long before his fifty in the Border gavaskar Trophy 2020-21, he was one of the important members of India's Nidahas Trophy triumph in 2018. Everyone remembered Dinesh Kartik's 29 runs off 8 balls in the final, being the Yusuf Dikeç, while Washington Sundar was the Hu Kai. The 2018 Nidahas Trophy did not see Washi as abatter. However, he was mostly used as a bowler in the powerplay by the then captain Rohit Sharma. 18 wickets in the tournament playing five matches, with the best economy rate in the tournament (5.70), Washi ended as the joint highest wicket-taker of the tournament alongside Yuzvendra Chahal. He was even awarded the player of the tournament, with media claiming him to be a sure shot in the next games.... ...until 2024 came. Why wasn't Washington Sundar considered? Washi's career has so far been a start-stop one. India has always been a country producing talents. But 2018 saw a period staffed with modern-day legends, where Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja was the shiniest all-rounders. Not only that, there used to be a lot of confusion regarding his role—should he bat or not? Something that is often questioned about Nithis Reddy's in the team is what Washington dodged in his late teens and early twenties. And if Washington was not an all-rounder, his relevance fell under the scanner. It happened in that time when players used to get selected for their specializations and not because they could bowl a bit or bat a bit. Even though Washington had never had an "a-bit" theory, his down-the-order batting hardly gave him a chance to bat. And he added that bane was his injuries. In 2021, he had his chance to make it into the T20 World Cup, but a fractured finger ruled him out. Hamstring injuries in 2022 and again in 2023, later a split webbing in 2022, and then a shorter surgery in 2022 delayed his exposure. Read also: Which IPL teams have players from the side in the T20 World Cup 2026? The sudden call the hero rose Washington Sundar is widely loved in Test cricket. This man has the temperament, the patience, and the elegance red ball needs. And he proved himself a number of times why he is needed in that format. The 2020-2021 Border-Gavaskar Trophy often recalls Rishabh Pant's heroism in Gabba. But there was a Shubman Gill, there was a Washington Sundar and there was a Shardul Thakur who came back after two years in the whites. Shubman and Washi both were playing their debut Tests. And the situation was so tight due to covid that no immediate replacement could have been done. Ashwin had to sit back after a gallant Sydney draw due to back stiffness. And there came Washington. He was travelling with the team as a net bowler and then got the call. Washington not only got a half century but also stitched a 120-run partnership with Shardul Thakur when the top order struggled. There were a lot of claims saying India won't cross 300 but they did—and it was Sundar and Thakur who took them. With the ball, Siraj's fifer often gets the highlight but Washington took 3 with one of Steve Smith's. The Gautam Gambhir effect This man often gets hate for backing players, hoping that they will excel at some point in time. However, many experiments fail, but Washi's didn't. Gambhir, who loves to bat deep, and given the left-hand batting from Washington, he made the all-rounder permanent in the squad. With the bat, he has received much less lower-order exposure and has played the role of a finisher with an improved strike rate of 145.31. At Hobart, towards the end of 2025, He quickifred 49* runs in 23 balls, ensuring a five-wicket victory against Australia. With the ball, he bowled in four innings, taking four wickets, with an average of 14.25, with his economy ticking to 7.77. However, in 2024, he played in 12 innings, taking 16 wickets with an average of 12.75 and an economy of 5.82. With India opening their 2026 T20 World Cup campaign on February 7 at Wankhede, Washington Sundar will wear his first-ever T20 World Cup jersey, ready to make his mark—no longer lost in a queue that once faded into the fog.