Having lost the first Test of the series by a crushing distance, Team India made a couple of changes in the playing XI of the second Test. KL Rahul , whose subdued run does not seem to cease, has been dropped for Shubman Gill and leg-spinner Kuldeep Yadav made room for all-rounder Washington Sundar. While not much was there to debate regarding KL Rahul getting snubbed, Washington Sundar’s incoming did propel polarising reactions. India’s batting legend, Sunil Gavaskar, while carrying out his duties as a broadcaster expressed disappointment over Kuldeep Yadav getting replaced by Sundar, but as the Offie weaved his magic in the middle in Pune, Gavaskar changed his stance and touted it as an “inspired selection.”

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Washington Sundar Stands Tall Against New Zealand

Washington Sundar returned to the Test circuit after a while and instantly made an impact. The off-spinner turned the tide when a partnership between Rachin Ravindra and Tom Blundell was flourishing. He bowled a peach of a delivery to get rid of Ravindra, who much like the Bengaluru Test had started to dictate things. Witnessing the dismissal from the commentary box, Sunil Gavaskar said  “What an inspired selection. He is picked in the XI because he can bat a little bit, bowl a little bit.” Gavaskar was not off the same view earlier in the day. The former India captain questioned Washington Sundar’s selection ahead of the start of the match proceedings.

“The selection of Washington Sundar tells me that the Indian team was worried about their batting. He is in not just because of his off-spin but because he can get more runs at the lower order. Yes, I think there has been a lot of talk about the number of left-handers in the New Zealand batting line-up but if I had to do that then I would have picked another guy like Kuldeep Yadav, who can turn the ball away from the left-handers. He’s pretty hand with the bat as well. Obviously, not as heavy-scoring as Sundar,” Gavaskar had said.

Ravindra’s wicket seemingly sent shivers to the Kiwi camp leading to a collapse. Sundar relentlessly destroyed the New Zealand line-up and subsequently finished with the figures of 7 wickets and 59 runs in 23.1 overs. New Zealand could only post 259 on the board.

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Onus On Batters Now

The spin duo of Ravichandran Ashwin and Washington Sundar has left New Zealand in dire straits and now all eyes are on the batters. India lost a crucial wicket of Rohit Sharma at the start of their innings. Shubman Gill and Yashasvi Jaiswal saw through the day at 16/1. The match hangs in balance and the onus is on the Indian batters to gain momentum and push the visitors to the bottom on Day 2.