New Delhi: The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) added Indian all-rounder Washington Sundar on Sunday to the existing 15-member squad for the ongoing Test series against New Zealand. The move immediately came after the hosts suffered eight-wicket defeat in the first Test in the overcast conditions in Bengaluru, not showing great signs ahead of the crucial Border-Gavaskar Trophy later in the year.
Sundar has played just four Test matches for India ever since making his debut in 2021. He last played for India against England in March 2021 and has been out of the mix, though he continues to feature in the white-ball formats regularly.
The 25-year-old was impressive for Tamil Nadu in their recent match against Delhi, scoring a prudent 152-run knock with the bat before returning with six wickets in total in the combined innings. Though Tamil Nadu couldn’t impose an outright win in the match, Washington’s all-round brilliance didn’t went unnoticed.
India’s assistant coach Ryan ten Doeschate explained the reason behind Sundar’s addition to the squad after the team started its training session at the Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium in Pune on Tuesday.
“Look, we’ve obviously got Axar in the squad as well. They’re filled with four left-handers in their 11. We want the option to take the ball away from the left-handers as well. You know, we’ve had Washi around the white ball squad for a while and we like the way he operates. It’s also nice to see that guys are getting rewarded for a Ranji Trophy performances as well,” Doeschate said in a press conference.
“So hopefully that sends a good message out to all the other guys. But it’s certainly not a desperate measure. We’ve got a lot of faith in the spinners we have. We just want to make sure we’re absolutely prepared for conditions. And if that does mean taking the ball away from the left-hander, we want that option,” he added.
Washington Sundar’s addition will be a major boost for India if the Tamil Nadu player gets the nod for the second Test in Pune as India will aim to make the most out of the spin-friendly conditions.
Washington Sundar’s numbers in Test cricket
Washington Sundar has played only four Test matches for India, having made his debut against Australia in Brisbane. He made an important 62 with the bat to help India revive their innings and picked four wickets in total, including the key dismissal of Steve Smith in the first innings as India won by three wickets in the now famous ‘Gabba Test’.
He subsequently played in three matches for the national team during then four-match Test series against England at home in the same year. He has amassed 265 runs in six innings at an average of 66.25 and has picked up six wickets at 49.83.
