India-New Zealand Test: Washington Sundar silences critics with '7-star' performance

All-rounder Washington Sundar silenced all who questioned his selection in the playing XI, in style by picking up 7/59, which helped India bowl New Zealand out for 259 in the second Test, in Pune.

The off-spinner, who is more than handy with the bat, too, was drafted into the playing XI in place of senior wrist-spinner Kuldeep Yadav. India had made two more changes to the team that lost to the Kiwis by eight wickets in the first Test in Bengaluru, by replacing Mohammed Siraj and KL Rahul with Akash Deep and Shubman Gill respectively.

The changes came in for heavy criticism from fans and expert commentators and former cricketers like Sunil Gavaskar and Murali Kartik, alike.

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Sundar, playing his first Test for India since March, 2021, however, repaid the faith shown by captain Rohit Sharma and coach Gautam Gambhir, by spinning a web around the New Zealand middle-order and lower-order. Fellow spinner Ravichandran Ashwin accounted for the first three wickets, sending back Kiwi skipper Tom Latham (15), Will Young (18) and Devon Conway (76). From then on, it was Sundar all the way.

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The 25-year-old helped India reduce New Zealand to 201/5 at the tea break, with a twin-strike, which included the key wicket of Rachin Ravindra (65), who looked set for another century. The Kiwis never recovered from the blows, with the next five wickets falling for just 58 runs, as Sundar ran through the lower order. Apart from Ravindra, the tall off-spinner castled Tom Blundell (3), Mitchell Santner (33), Tim Southee (5) and Ajaz Patel (4), hitting the off-stump with unerring consistency.

In reply, India ended day 1 on 16/1, with Yashasvi Jaiswal (6 not out) and Shubman Gill (10 not out) at the crease. Skipper Rohit Sharma was cleaned up by Tim Southee for a nine-ball duck.