‘Washington’, oops we are not talking of George Washington! Washington Sundar, the 17-year old Chennai born has made a name for himself for sure in Rising Pune Supergiant colours. Still, Indians find it interesting and intriguing the name ‘Washington’ as it is not an Indian name. So, how did the all rounder land up with this weird name. We reveal all about his name here. He is also a decent enough batsman but it seems he is a garnering all the attention because of his bowling in the RPS camp. His performance with the ball against Mumbai Indians has made him the talking point. In that match, he also became the youngest to bag a Man of the match award in the history of IPL. So how did he get his name ‘Washington’?
The guesses were partially correct as his father M Sundar has revealed that his name is in honor of his godfather Mr P.D Washington.
Speaking to an Indian daily Washington’s father said, “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.”
He also spoke of the struggles and obstacles they had to face early on, he said, “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. To me he was everything. He was the happiest man when I made it to the Ranji probables,” Sundar added.
Soon after Washington passed away in 1999, 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.”
