Former Indian wicket-keeper Saba Karim showered praise on Washington Sundar for his brilliant spell on the fourth day of the third Test match against England at Lord’s on Sunday. Sundar returned with impressive figures of 4-22 in the second innings in 12.1 overs he bowled.
The off-spinner accounted for Joe Root, Ben Stokes, Jamie Smith and Shoaib Bashir. All of Sundar’s dismissals were bowled as he reaped rewards for targeting the stumps.
England were bowled out for 192 and thus India need 193 runs to win the third Test. Karim reckons Sundar has played an instrumental role in putting India in a commanding position.
“Washi Sundar has a massive height advantage, and we saw that in this spell. His height allows him to bowl with control. There is another reason why he succeeds in deceiving batters. One is that Washington Sundar got the most drift among the spinners, and secondly, he beats the batters with his trajectory,” Saba Karim said on Sony Sports.
“Why did Jamie Smith play a full ball on the back foot? It was because of the trajectory. From the 35th to the 80th over is the best phase for a batter because the ball becomes soft. The spell he bowled there, it was a very critical phase of this match. We are still saying that India can win this game, and Washington Sundar has the biggest contribution in taking India to this position,” he added.
Meanwhile, former Indian batter Hemang Badani said Joe Root’s wicket was crucial for India as the veteran batter was going strongly.
“That (Joe Root’s wicket) was a massive breakthrough. Joe Root and Ben Stokes were forging a good partnership, and he gave a breakthrough there. After that, he took Jamie Smith’s wicket. Everyone knows that Jamie Smith has batted very well in this series,” he said.
The Delhi Capitals head coach said all of Sundar’s wickets were crucial and came at the right time for the visitors.
“All four wickets were important because Ben Stokes is a clutch player. He always wins such kinds of games. His recent form might not have been good, but one is always afraid when Ben Stokes is batting. The wickets he picked up, he kept things very simple,” Badani observed.
India ended the fourth day’s play at 58-4 and needs another 135 runs to win.
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