IND vs NZ: Washington Sundar joins squad for upcoming Tests
Washington Sundar, the talented all-rounder who recently scored a century for Tamil Nadu in their ongoing Ranji Trophy match against Delhi, has been added to the Indian squad. He will be part of the team for the second and third Tests against New Zealand. The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) announced his inclusion as the 16th member of India's Test squad, without making any other changes. Here are the details.
Sundar's return to Test cricket after hiatus
Sundar has been a regular feature in India's white-ball squads in the past few months. However, he hasn't played Test cricket since March 2021. Nevertheless, he was named in the squad as a replacement for the injured Ravindra Jadeja during the home Test series against England earlier this year. His inclusion is a tactical move considering his potential as a spin-bowling all-rounder.
Sundar's impressive Test record and future prospects
Sundar has played four Test matches so far for Team India. He owns a total of 265 at an average of 66.25. With the ball, he has bagged six wickets with his offspin at 49.83. His debut was marked by a significant contribution to India's famous win versus Australia at the Gabba in January 2021, where he picked up three first-innings wickets and scored crucial lower-order innings of 62 and 22.
Sundar's recent Ranji Trophy performance and future role
In the recent Ranji match against Delhi, Sundar batted at No. 3 and scored 152, his second First-Class century. He also picked two wickets on Sunday against Delhi, showcasing his all-round skills with the red ball. However, it remains unclear what role India have in mind for Washington in the Tests against New Zealand as they already have three frontline spinners in Jadeja, R Ashwin and Kuldeep Yadav with Axar Patel in reserve.
Sundar managed 152 runs versus Delhi
Versus Delhi, Sundar scored 152 runs. His knock was laced with 19 fours and a six. He faced 269 balls.Notably, Sundar's first century at this level came against Tripura in 2017 when he opened the innings with Abhinav Mukund, scoring 159.
Team India squad for 2nd and 3rd Test matches
Rohit Sharma (captain), Jasprit Bumrah (vice-capt), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, KL Rahul, Sarfaraz Khan, Rishabh Pant (wk), Dhruv Jurel (wk), Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohd. Siraj, Akash Deep, Washington Sundar.
