New Delhi: Washington Sundar returned to the Indian Test team with a bang, claiming his career-best figures of 7/59 as the hosts bowled out New Zealand for 259 runs in the first innings on the opening day of the second Test in Pune.
After getting beaten by eight wickets in the first match in Bengaluru, India made three changes and included Sundar in place of Kuldeep Yadav.
Sundar justified his inclusion with a top-class effort of spin bowling as he ran through the Kiwi batting line-up.
Five of his seven dismissals were clean bowled, with the eight hander getting reward for bowling a tight line and length. He picked Rachin Ravindra’s wicket as his personal favourite.
“Certainly Rachin Ravindra. They were getting into a decent position. And for me to get his wicket just before Tea. And also Darryl Mitchell’s wicket, just after Tea was a gift to all,” Sundar told the official broadcaster after the game.
“We genuinely felt it will start spinning from day one. It did spin in the first session, but I don’t think it did a lot in the second session. The moisture wasn’t there in the second, but eventually it started again.”
Ravindra had scored 134 in the first Test that helped the Kiwis win their first test in Indian since 1988 and looked set to score another big knock when he was dismissed for 65. After his dismissal, the New Zealand innings ended at 259 after being 2011/5 at Test when Ravindra departed.
After making his Test debut in 2020-21 in India’s Test series win in Australia, Sundar’s career has been blighted by multiple injuries. But he was thankful of god for getting another chance.
“It’s amazing to be living the dream. I mean, I manifested this especially to happen in this particular series for a couple of weeks and, uh the way it came through, especially the fact that I wasn’t part of the first Test and I was called for this particular test and I was given the opportunity to play in the XI. Very grateful to the coach and the captain. I mean, unbelievable feeling,” Sundar said.
“To be very honest, I wanted to be very accurate no matter what situation I was bowling in or which batsman I was coming across. But obviously it’s God’s plan. I mean, it just came through really well, and I just focused in particular to hit the right areas consistently. Changed, changed my pace a little bit here and there and we are really grateful for whatever happened today.”
