PICTURE: Washington Sunday was named ‘Player of the Match’ after outstanding figures of 3/15 in the third match of the Zimbabwe series and earned the Player of the Series title by taking the most wickets (eight). Photo: BCCI

India’s all-rounder Washington Sundar has been nominated for the ICC ‘Player of the Month’ award for July, along with England’s Gus Atkinson and Scotland’s Charlie Cassell.

After years of perseverance and fighting through wounds, Washington finally appears to have established its place on the international stage.

He was part of a young Indian team that toured Zimbabwe for a five-match T20I series. With the regulars rested after the World Cup triumph, the 24-year-old stepped up and emerged as the team’s leading spin-bowling all-rounder, proving his worth and justifying the trust reposed in him.

Washington was one of the few bright spots in India’s unexpected defeat in the first T20I, producing impressive bowling figures of 2/11 and contributing 27 runs to keep the visitors in the game, but they ultimately fell 13 runs short in pursuit of 115.

He played a key role in India’s comeback, taking six more wickets in the remaining four matches, helping his team turn a 1–0 deficit into a 4–1 series win.

He was named ‘Player of the Match’ for his outstanding statistics of 3/15 in the third match and won the Player of the Series title for taking the most wickets (eight).

Washington, who returned to the field regularly in the Sri Lanka series, was restricted to just one match but made the most of the opportunity and won the ‘Player of the Match’ award after a thrilling Super Over.

In what could be a passing of the torch moment at Lord’s, Atkinson made a dazzling Test debut in James Anderson’s farewell international match.

The speedster made a great first impression by taking 12 wickets in his first Test, including five in each innings. He recorded incredible figures of 7/45 in the first innings to run through the West Indies batting order and bowl out the visitors for just 121.

The 26-year-old player took five more wickets (5/61) after his early heroics in the match, which England won by 114 runs.

Cassell stole the limelight in his ODI debut against Oman in Dundee.

Making an unforgettable first impression, he secured a remarkable seven-wicket win (7/21) and broke Kagiso Rabada’s nine-year-old record of having the best bowling figures on an ODI debut (6/16).

The two wickets he took in his first two innings of international cricket crowned his dream start.

The right-arm fast bowler completed the series by taking five wickets in the 18th over and finished the match with scores of 7/21.

Cassell’s performance was not only a record-breaking debut, but he also achieved the seventh-best bowling figures in ODI history, surpassed only by Andy Bichel, Wanindu Hasaranga, Rashid Khan, Glenn McGrath, Shahid Afridi and Chaminda Vaas.