Ahmedabad (Gujarat) [India], April 10 (ANI): Despite playing just one game so far in the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL) season, Washington Sundar remains a key figure in Gujarat Titans' (GT) plans, according to the team's Chief Operating Officer, Colonel Arvinder Singh.

Sundar, who delivered an impressive performance with the bat scoring 49 off 29 balls with five fours and two sixes against Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH), played a crucial role in helping GT secure a seven-wicket win. However, he was not picked for the match against Rajasthan Royals (RR), also he did not feature in the opening games as well.

Addressing the situation, Arvinder Singh backed the all-rounder's quality and hinted that fans will see more of him in the games to come.

'Oh, I am sure he will be. He is a quality player. He has a very important role to play with the team,' he said.

However, Singh was quick to stress that selection decisions are always based on the overall team strategy.

'It is not about individuals. It is about the team. You are putting on field the best combination that you think is going to get you across the line for that particular game. So, it is based on that. It is not about any particular individual as to how many number of games somebody is playing,' Singh told ANI.

Reinforcing the franchise's belief in Sundar's abilities, Singh added, 'He is a quality player who has done exceptionally well for himself and we know for sure that this is a very, very long tournament. And in different conditions, you will definitely see Washi stepping out in GT colours for sure.'

Recapping their last match, RR skipper Sanju Samson won the toss and opted to bowl first against the hosts, the Gujarat Titans.

Batting first, the Shubman Gill-led side scored 217/6 in their 20 overs with knocks from Sai Sudarshan (82 runs off 53), Jos Buttler (36 runs from 25 balls) and Shahrukh Khan (36 runs in 20 balls).

For the visitors, two wickets each were snapped by Tushar Deshpande (2/53) & Maheesh Theekshana (2/54) and one wicket each was grabbed by Jofra Archer (1/30) and Sandeep Sharma (1/41) in their respective spells of four overs each.

In reply to chasing a mammoth total of 218 runs, the Sanju Samson-led side fell short of the target by 58 runs as they were bundled out for 159 in the last over. Shimron Hetymer (52 runs off 32 balls) and Sanju Samson (41 runs from 28 balls) were the top two scorers for the side.

While every GT bowler chipped in, Prasidh Krishna was the standout performer, finishing with impressive figures of 3/24. Rashid Khan and Sai Kishore picked up two wickets apiece, while Kulwant Khejroliya, Arshad Khan, and Mohammed Siraj took one each. (ANI)