England defeated India by 22 runs on Day Five of the Lord’s Test and have now taken a 2-1 lead with two more matches to go in the ongoing series. However, England cricketer Jos Buttler has claimed that a bold statement from India’s all-rounder Washington Sundar might have further motivated the home side—and eventually, they ended up winning the Test.
Ahead of Day Five, during a chat on Sky Sports, Sundar confidently claimed that the visitors were going to win the match, despite losing four quick wickets late on Day Four. He even suggested that India might seal the win within the first session itself, saying: “Definitely India winning tomorrow, probably in the first session.”
But things did not go according to his prediction. Despite contributing with the bat in India’s first innings and taking an impressive four-wicket haul in England’s second innings, Sundar faced a setback on Day Five. He was dismissed for a duck and became one of the early victims of England’s bowlers, as India lost four wickets in the first session. Later, a remarkable fight from Nitish Kumar Reddy, Ravindra Jadeja, Jasprit Bumrah, and Mohammed Siraj stretched the chase into the final session before India eventually fell short. For Buttler, Sundar’s bold claim may have sparked extra fire in the England camp.
“Washington Sundar’s interview where he says about, you know, when India win tomorrow, when we go 2-1 up. And I thought, I wonder if he’s just sort of, you know, got his words out wrong, you know, hopefully we’ll win. But it was the proper, you know, incredible confidence. Yeah, we’re going to win. And it’s always one of those moments where you’re like, you don’t miss a thing, do you, in this day and age? Someone will have heard about that in the dressing room. It’s almost like instead of anyone having to say anything this morning for England you could have just played that interview and that would have got people so fired up,” he said on a YouTube show.
“There’s a little clip of when Washington came out to bat and McCullum over the balcony sort of, you know, telling everyone to raise it, it’s the guy who’s been chirping. You set yourself up, don’t you? It’s horrible. But you’re like, no, everyone’s all over me. I could have just come out here and tried to, you know, have a good game and try my best. But now everyone knows what I’ve said in the media last night, and this is going to be, everyone’s after me. Even McCullum, who’s possibly the only time he didn’t have his feet up. He’s leant forward to say, come on. Let’s ramp it up for this guy,” Buttler concluded.
For the latest sports news follow- Revsportz