After the second day of the one-off Test between India and Afghanistan, Washington Sundar revealed his blueprint for success for the remainder of the match.
"The wicket is a little slow and obviously has a bit of spin," he said. "The next couple of days, it will only start to get even slower and spin a little more. The speed doesn't matter a great deal, but bowling a little up on this wicket would be crucial because to drive, or even drive on the rise, would be very difficult. You've got to grind, play a lot of balls, and eventually get runs."
On the third day, Washington walked the talk. After Afghanistan were made to follow on, he picked up 4 for 36 in just 11 overs, helping India to their biggest win in Test cricket, by an innings and 300 runs.
In Afghanistan's first innings, he bowled only 6.4 overs and took the final wicket. His lengths were slightly shorter then. As per ESPNcricinfo's logs, of his 40 balls, only 11 (27.5%) were full. In the second innings, as the pitch slowed down further, he bowled much fuller. Of his 66 deliveries, 35 (53.03%) were pitched up and fetched him two wickets.
Rahmat Shah was one of them. Having scored a half-century in the first innings, he was looking good again. On just his fourth ball, he stepped out to Washington and lofted him over mid-on for six. But when he tried it again a little later, this time aiming to clear mid-off, he found himself too close to the ball and couldn't clear the fielder.
Washington struck again with the last ball before tea. After changing his angle a couple of times to keep Sediqullah Atal guessing, he floated one full outside off. Atal, who had dead-batted the first four deliveries of the over and could have done the same to this as well, tried to go over mid-off. But the ball turned away from him and the miscue went into the lap of backward point.
His other two victims, Hashmatullah Shahidi and Azmatullah Omarzai, fell into the very trap Washington had warned about. Both played shots better suited to fuller lengths, and not good lengths, on this slow pitch. Shahidi pushed at it and was caught at first slip, while Omarzai slogged and was taken at long-on.
It was an impressive showing for someone who had bowled just 9.1 overs in 17 IPL games and taken only one wicket. When asked if the lack of overs under his belt had any negative impact, Washington said: "I don't think it impacts at all because we prepare every single day. No matter where we are playing, at the end of the day we are working on our skill sets and looking to improve. Whenever game time comes, you've got to be ready.
"In terms of preparation, I've always felt I have turned up every single day, and that has made me believe that whenever my opportunity comes, I would be ready to bring my A-game."
And Washington seized the opportunity not just with the ball but also with the bat. Batting at No. 7 in India's only innings, he scored an unbeaten 52 off just 68 balls to set up the declaration.
The knock highlighted his versatility once again. Only two Tests but seven months ago, he had batted at No. 3 in both innings against South Africa in Kolkata. On a treacherous pitch where neither team crossed 190 in any of the innings, he scored 29 off 82 balls in the first and 31 off 92 in the second. He faced more balls (174) in the Test than anyone on either side, doing so with a remarkable control percentage of 88.51.
That was the first and so far the only Test where he batted at No. 3, and it is likely to remain so for the near future as India want to give B Sai Sudharsan a long rope in that role. Washington, meanwhile, just wants to focus on contributing towards the team's cause and improving both as a batter and a bowler.
"I try to give equal time to batting and bowling," he said. "I enjoy doing both, and no matter what, I go to be turning up every single day and keep improving my skill sets. There's so much to learn and improve every single day. So, I look forward to doing that every single day."
Given that Washington repeats "turning up every day" quite a few times in a short chat, one might think it's just a stock phrase. That doesn't seem to be the case, as India's batting Sitanshu Kotak revealed it's a part of his core personality and has been central to his growth.
"He has got very mature," Kotak said. "Whether he gets an opportunity to bowl or bat, or sometimes when he doesn't play, I don't see any difference in his work ethic or behaviour. There are players who do get disappointed. With Washy, I have never seen him changing his work ethic.
"If you keep working hard for six, seven, eight years and keep getting mature, you do perform. In England, when we were saving the [Old Trafford] Test, he and Jadeja got hundreds. Those are the signs that, even though he is still young, he is a much more mature player."
With tougher World Test Championship challenges ahead, India will be hoping Washington continues to turn up exactly as he has.