Atreyo Mukhopadhyay in Pune
They call him ‘Washy’ in the dressing room. There was nothing wishy-washy whatsoever with the effort he put in against New Zealand on Day 1 of the second Test. Washington Sundar brought India back into a match they have to win to stay in the series and he did that in a manner which must have surprised even the hardest of his backers.
A specialist batter who could bowl, he played at No. 4 in the 2016 U-19 World Cup final in a team led by Ishan Kishan, which also included Rishabh Pant and Sarfaraz Khan. A tall man with reach and an elegant striker of the ball, he was focused mostly on batting. Then, after an Indian Premier League outing the same year, he became an all-rounder and earned his senior India cap as a bowler who could bat.
It was his bat that did most of the talking in the four Tests he had played before Pune. In the historic tour of Australia in 2020-21 and at home against England after that, he made runs lower down the order under pressure. His bowling was there, but not more than as a stopgap arrangement. Before Pune, he had six wickets and three half-centuries, with an unbeaten 96 as his highest.
All that was consigned to history at the MCA Stadium. Brought into the XI as an emergency measure, the player from Tamil Nadu hauled India back into a game they must win, at a time when New Zealand looked like running away with it. Due to his sensational spell, India fought back and reached a position to mount a serious challenge.
“I will never forget this day. It’s very special,” said Washington after returning with figures of 7/59. Never ever in other first-class games had he been so successful with the ball. “Everything that happened today was pleasing, right from the start. Getting to come back to the Test squad, getting to play in the XI. There are a lot of things which mean a lot to me and are very special,” he said.
At 197/3 just before tea, New Zealand were in command, with Rachin Ravindra going great guns once again. The 25-year-old changed the complexion of the game by striking twice just before tea and once immediately thereafter. The rest of the day was his.
The off-spinner challenged both sides of the bat and reaped the rewards of attacking the stumps. Five of his victims were bowled and one was leg-before. This was more about keeping things simple than over-complicating them. The pitch assisted to an extent. There were puffs of dust coming off the surface on occasions. Washington still had to be steady and that’s what he did.
“I just wanted to focus on every ball and give my 100 per cent every single ball right from the start of the day. I really wanted to keep things tight, and I was able to,” said India’s man of the moment. Introduced into the attack ahead of the vastly experienced Ravindra Jadeja, Washington was mostly ineffective for a long time. He was not expensive, but not particularly threatening either.
That changed at the stroke of tea and captain Rohit Sharma deserves credit for that. He brought Washington back by replacing Akash Deep when things were not going in India’s favour. His secret ace removed dangerman Rachin with an off-spinner’s dream delivery and then, they just kept coming. Not often in one spell does a spinner bowl so many gems on Day 1 of a Test.
It seems India will need more of him in this Test. The pitch will become progressively difficult for batting and will assist spin. This Tamil Nadu lad will be required not only as a bowler but also as a batter. For Rohit’s team, the job has just begun after losing a vital toss. If the first day shows anything, Washington can just become the man India need in a Test they badly want to win.
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