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For the second Test match against New Zealand, Washington Sundar was not expected to be in Pune. He and his teammates from Tamil Nadu were expected to be in Coimbatore for the Ranji Trophy. Three days earlier, he was not part of India’s Test team. He hadn’t participated in a Test match in three and a half years prior to Thursday. As it happened, he returned to Test cricket by chance and achieved career-high 7 for 59.
“It was all God’s plan,” Washington said.
Although Washington wasn’t expected to play in the 2017 IPL, he was selected to replace the senior offspinner after bowling Steven Smith at a Rising Pune Supergiant trial due to an injury to R Ashwin. Washington became a powerplay expert in T20 cricket at the age of 17.
When Washington made his T20 debut seven years later, he demonstrated that he had the potential to develop into an all-format talent. It was undoubtedly anticipated by Ravi Shastri, who said that he will become India’s “premier allrounder across all three formats of the game.” However, even he was blind to what was going to happen yesterday.
Unless there are issues with players’ availability or fitness, it is rather uncommon for this India side to add players to their roster in the middle of a home Test series. Even though Washington had a lengthy bowling stint with Ashwin in the nets and there were indications on Tuesday that he would play on a low-bounce, black-soil pitch in Pune, it still seemed unlikely that he would take Kuldeep Yadav’s place in India’s attack.
At the end of New Zealand’s innings, Ashwin clapped his possible successor off the pitch, and Washington ended up exactly matching his career-best Test numbers.
It was all about Ashwin at the beginning of the day. Rohit Sharma signalled Ashwin to be ready to bowl halfway through the seventh over, which was bowled by Jasprit Bumrah. Ashwin turned and pinned New Zealand skipper Tom Latham leg before wicket with his fifth ball. Then, with another offbreak that twisted, Ashwin had Will Young caught down the leg side. India and Ashwin seemed to be on to something. The stands soon filled with fans rushing for cover from the intense heat.
Washington was slowly making his way back into Test cricket, but his impact on the Pune audience wasn’t nearly the same. Particularly when he bowled short and wide of off stump to Young with the leg side crowded with six fielders, there were indications of rust.
Rachin Ravindra then received the ball.
Washington put more spin on the ball and went wide of the crease from around the wicket, causing it to drop and then turn. Additionally, Ravindra played down the wrong line due to inward drift. Ashwin’s dismissals of Alastair Cook in both innings of the 2018 Edgbaston Test were recalled as the ball went past the outside edge and struck the top of off.
Washington got the ball to float beyond Tom Blundell in his subsequent over, then dip and tear through the gate. Washington was mostly selected to counter a New Zealand lineup that was heavily reliant on left-handers. This demonstrated that he was also capable of catching right-handers.
Washington then maintained the stumps in play by continuing to hit the dry, good-length band on the pitch with laser-like accuracy. Five additional wickets in nine overs were awarded to him as a reward.
With a burst of applause and a broad smile, Gautam Gambhir greeted Washington as he returned to the dressing room. Gambhir sees an all-format player in Washington, just like Shastri. In the July Pallekele T20I, he had trusted him to bowl the Super Over, and Washington unexpectedly bowled India to victory.
Under Gambhir, with whom he was an assistant coach at the Lucknow Super Giants, Sriram hopes Washington can mature as an all-around player.
“Yeah, I think credit to Gauti also,” Sriram said. “Because I think he always rates him high. Whatever little conversations I’ve had with Gauti in LSG also, he always rated Washy very high. And he is someone, I think, he’ll use him very well as an allrounder. Both with bat and ball, he’ll promote him in certain times with the bat. And he’ll make best use of him with the ball as well and give him the ideal situations where he can succeed in all formats of the game.”