IND vs NZ 2nd Test: Washington Sundar justifies surprise selection as India skittles New Zealand for 259 on Day 1

Washington justified the team management’s decision to field him in place of Kuldeep Yadav with a seven-wicket haul and bundled out New Zealand for 259.

Washington Sundar and India captain Rohit Sharma celebrate. | Photo Credit: K. BHAGYA PRAKASH/THE HINDU

Around this time last week, Washington Sundar was in the national capital, featuring in a Ranji Trophy group league fixture for Tamil Nadu.

Back then, he wouldn’t have probably imagined that his innings of 152 and six wickets against Delhi would open the doors to India’s Test side again.

But the team management had different plans.

Soon after the debacle in the series opener, Washington was rushed to Pune. And, as nearly 18,000 spectators chanted his name at the Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium on Thursday, Washington justified the team management’s decision to field him in place of Kuldeep Yadav with a seven-wicket haul (seven for 59) and bundled out New Zealand for 259.

With New Zealand opting to bat, Jasprit Bumrah kept a lid on the run-scoring from one end, though Akash Deep, coming in for Mohammed Siraj, struggled as Devon Conway (76, 141b) and Tom Latham hit a flurry of boundaries.

That forced the team management to introduce Ravichandran Ashwin into the attack in the eighth over and the move paid off as he trapped Latham leg-before off the fifth delivery.

However, New Zealand’s batters scored runs at ease even though Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja and Washington operated for the larger part of the innings.

Conway rebuilt the innings with Will Young and ensured that the team cruised past the 130-run mark without breaking a sweat before Ashwin cut short the latter’s stay at the crease with Rishabh Pant taking a sharp catch.

However, New Zealand looked comfortable until the early hours of the post-lunch session as Conway brought up his 11th fifty, driving a half-volley by Bumrah, and Rachin Ravindra (65, 105b) carried his form from the series opener in Bengaluru.

In the hot and humid conditions, there was a passage of play when nothing seemed to be going in favour of the Indian bowlers as Conway hit Bumrah for a couple of boundaries.

At a time when Conway looked set for another big innings, the seasoned batter chased an Ashwin half-tracker and just managed to edge it to Pant behind the stumps. 

As India rejoiced at the breakthrough, Ravindra and Daryl Mitchell seemed comfortable and went on to forge a near-flawless partnership.

New Zealand’s Rachin Ravindra, left, and New Zealand’s Daryl Mitchell bump fists. | Photo Credit: AP

However, things changed quickly, barely 15 minutes before the tea break.

After going wicketless in his earlier spell, Washington made his presence felt by cleaning up Ravindra with a sharply-turning delivery, which by his own admission, was a ‘dream ball’.

Ravindra’s dismissal boosted Washington’s confidence as the latter was returning to India’s scheme of things in red-ball cricket after three-and-a-half years.

After exchanging a lot of ideas with Ashwin, Washington castled Tom Bludell in the following over, bringing India back into the game.

It’s a coincidence that Washington’s career-best seven for 59 is also Ashwin’s career-best haul in Test cricket (also against New Zealand, in Indore in 2016) and throughout the second session, Washington made it a point to add gloss to India’s glorious spin-bowling department by aiming at the off-stump with his off-breaks.

And, that triggered the collapse of New Zealand’s lower middle-order.

Washington, who made the most of the conditions, was unstoppable.

He trapped Mitchell leg-before, while Glenn Phillips holed out to Ashwin at long-off. Once the specialist batters fell, it was just a matter of time for the young spinner from Chennai to furrow the tail by deceiving the tail-enders - Tim Southee, Ajaz Patel and Mitchell Santner - with flight and turn.

For the larger part of the day, it did not seem that New Zealand would fall short of the 300-run mark, but with Washington bowling to his strengths and Ashwin holding fort at the other end, all the 10 wickets were claimed by the offies.

Rohit Sharma of India is clean bowled by Tim Southee of New Zealand. | Photo Credit: THE HINDU

However, India would be disappointed to have lost its captain Rohit Sharma early on in the innings as it ended the day at 16 for one, with Yashasvi Jaiswal and Shubman Gill - coming in for KL Rahul - at the crease.

India batted for 11 overs, and Rohit was cleaned up by Southee with an away-moving delivery. But Gill and Jaiswal ensured there were no further setbacks.