Washington, Ashwin happy to reunite under RCB banner

The Tamil Nadu duo, playing the TNCA first-division cricket league, will leave for the second part of the preparatory camp with their IPL team on Saturday.

Smiling assassins: Washington Sundar (left) and Murugan Ashwin “share a good rapport.”

Washington Sundar and M. Ashwin will have known companions in each other when they are engaged with the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) in the Indian Premier League (IPL) this season.

Washington said he is "happy" he will have a Tamil Nadu team-mate at RCB, someone he's played "some cricket" with.

"We share a good rapport. And he's done well in the recently concluded series in Sri Lanka (Nidahas trophy). So I'll talk to him about that experience; as to how was it like bowling to players at the international level," said M. Ashwin.

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Both players spoke during the first day's play of the elite group final in the TNCA first division cricket league at the SSN College here on Friday. It's been learnt that the duo will leave for the second part of the preparatory camp with RCB on Saturday. They have been asked to report for the camp by Sunday morning which has meant they would not play against each other in the final here for their respective teams - Globe Trotters (Washington) and Grand Slam (Ashwin).

Getting acquainted with the ‘home pitch’

While Ashwin has attended the first part of the camp which, he said, was held in the second week of March, Washington couldn't, given he was playing for India in Sri Lanka. "The preparatory camp was actually a camp for us to get into the T20 mindset, to get used to the white ball and the conditions at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium. It was also an opportunity for the members of the squad to get to know each other. But most importantly, it was a camp for us to get accustomed to the home pitch (there will be seven home games)," said Ashwin.

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Another highlight is that the pair, both being spinners (Washington’s an offie, and Ashwin's a leggie), will train under the Kiwi spin legend Daniel Vettori (RCB coach). "I had the chance to interact with him (Vettori). Crucially, he focused on bowling the right lengths, and the variation of speed," said Ashwin on his lessons from the camp.

If the pair get a chance to play together, and still better, bowl in tandem, Ashwin said there will be "easy, better communication" between the two. "Communication is critical between spinners bowling in tandem," he added.