Whether left-arm spinner Kuldeep would have proved India’s trump card against the vulnerable England batter, we will never know
Kuldeep Yadav. Pic/AFP
Before the third Test began at Lord’s on Thursday, there was debate in the Indian media on the need to include a front-line spinner in the form of Kuldeep Yadav in the XI. The reason was that England are having an unusually dry and warm summer and the pitch at the ‘Home of Cricket’ would favour the spinners as the match progressed. There is no doubt that on the fourth day on Sunday, the surface here has helped the bowlers, especially the spinners, more than one can remember.
Whether left-arm spinner Kuldeep would have proved India’s trump card against the vulnerable England batter, we will never know. But it was all-rounder Washington Sundar who made the most of the conditions to provide India crucial breakthroughs by getting the wickets of the experienced Joe Root and the dangerous Jaime Smith in the session between lunch and tea. And on resumption, he sent back skipper Ben Stokes, much to the delight of the Indian fans in the stands.
Bowling at the Nursery End, from where pacer Jasprit Bumrah had given the home batters a harrowing time with swing and bounce, but without luck, Sundar used the famous Lord’s slope to advantage by deceiving both Root and Smith. Both played for the spin, but the bowler cleaned them up with an arm ball that went straight through. The England captain too met with the same fate, playing for the spin but deceived by a straighter one. He finally wrapped up the innings by getting rid of last man Shoaib Bashir to finish off with his best figures outside India of 4-22. Amazingly, it was the first time that India had clean bowled 12 batsmen in a single Test.
Though many wanted Sundar replaced by Kuldeep, the team management stuck with the off-spinner who can bat quite handily. But then, Sundar is no novice with the ball and bowls pretty effectively in Test matches. Coming into this match, he had taken 26 wickets in 10 matches, with a best of 7-59 (match figures of 11-115), but in a losing cause at Pune against New Zealand on a treacherous pitch last year. In the following game at Wankhede, he had 4-81 and 1-30, but in vain, as India lost the three-match series to the Kiwis last year. Sundar’s previous best bowling effort overseas was on his Test debut at Brisbane in 2021, when he had taken 3-89. On the 2024 tour, he had 2-48 at Perth and managed six wickets in the limited bowling chances he had in the three Test matches he played on that tour.
4-22
Washington Sundar’s figures yesterday — his best in an away Test
Subscribe today by clicking the link and stay updated with the latest news!" Click here!
