Indian all-rounder Washington Sundar has made a return to the Test side after he was included in the playing XI for the second Test against New Zealand on Thursday. Sundar has been in scintillating form off-late in the Ranji Trophy. (Match Blog | Streaming | More Cricket News)
Playing for Tamil Nadu against Delhi, Sundar scored an impressive 152 runs off 269 balls, including 19 fours and a six, while batting at the unfamiliar position of No. 3.
Sundar makes his return to the Test squad after three years, his last Test being in March 2021, wherein he was a vital figure in India's memorable victory against Australia in the 2020-21 season.
Sundar's batting Down Under helped India clinch a historic win at the Gabba as India won the Border-Gavaskar Trophy. In that series, the all-rounder scored 265 runs across four Tests, including three half-centuries, and took six wickets.
Former coach Ravi Shastri too praised the 25-year-old stating Sundar 'was the future' of Team.
"He is going to be one of India's leading allrounders," Shastri was quoted speaking on ESPNcricinfo's analysis show T20 Time:Out.
"He is the future. You have [Ravindra] Jadeja today. Three years down the line, if Jadeja is still fit, he will play. There is Axar [Patel] around. But this guy is your premier allrounder across all three formats of the game. Hear what I am saying. Three formats of the game."
IND vs NZ 2nd Test Playing XIs:
India (Playing XI): Yashasvi Jaiswal, Rohit Sharma(c), Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Rishabh Pant(w), Sarfaraz Khan, Ravindra Jadeja, Washington Sundar, Ravichandran Ashwin, Akash Deep, Jasprit Bumrah
New Zealand (Playing XI): Tom Latham(c), Devon Conway, Will Young, Rachin Ravindra, Daryl Mitchell, Tom Blundell(w), Glenn Phillips, Mitchell Santner, Tim Southee, Ajaz Patel, William ORourke
