Rising Pune Supergiant’s young spinner Washington Sundar has taken the tenth edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) by storm and has been one of the finds of the season.

New Delhi: Rising Pune Supergiant’s young spinner Washington Sundar has taken the tenth edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) by storm and has been one of the finds of the season.

However, even before the 17-year-old bowled a single delivery in IPL-10, there was so much buzz created around Chennai-born cricketer. And the reason was, his unusual name.

Washington’s father, M. Sundar, has finally lifted the lid over his son’s name, which had been a mystery thus far.

“I am a Hindu and come from a very humble family. Two streets away from my home in Triplicane lived an ex-army man called P.D. Washington. Washington was extremely fond of cricket and would come to watch us play at the Marina ground. He took a liking for my game,” Washington’s father was quoted as saying by The Hindu.

“I was poor and he would buy uniform for me, pay my school fee, get me books, take me to the ground in his cycle and constantly encourage me,” M. Sundar said.

The relationship was such that he decided to name his first child after his godfather and says if he had another son he would have called him “Washington Jr.”

Just after P.D passed away in 1999, M. Sundar’s first son was born.

“My wife had a difficult delivery. But the baby survived. As per the Hindu custom, I whispered a God’s name, ‘Srinivasan,’ in his ear. But I decided to name him Washington in memory of the man who had done so much for me,” revealed Washington’s father.

Washington Sundar has been a vital cog in Pune’s progression into the final of the league. The young spinner has picked up 8 wickets in 10 matches so far.

While Washington wreaked havoc in qualifier one against two-time champions Mumbai Indians as he picked up three wickets that helped RPS seal a place in the championship clash.

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