ENG vs IND 2025: Washington Sundar delivers with 4-wicket haul, justifies inclusion in Lord’s Test.
Washington Sundar was the hero for India on the fourth day of the Lord’s Test against England. He took 4/22 in England’s second innings to trigger a collapse that saw England lose their last six wickets for 38 runs. Sundar broke a threatening stand of 67 runs for the fifth wicket between Joe Root and Ben Stokes. He first dismissed Root, bowled after the Englishman missed a sweep. He also shattered Stokes’ stumps as the England captain went for a slog sweep but missed it.
His most prized scalp was Jamie Smith who has been England’s highest run-getter in the series so far. Smith was out bowled after he played for the turn on the backfoot but the ball drifted away and broke the timber. Sundar’s last wicket was out bowled too as India executed their plans of bowling a stump-to-stump line.
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Washington Sundar’s impact justifies selection call
Sundar’s performance on English soil, and that too at Lord’s, is special as it helped India to wrap up England innings quickly, and give themselves a chance to force a win at this ground. Moreover, a spinner doing well in England, which is more conducive for seam and swing bowling, stands out while Sundar exhibited great control over his craft.
Sundar would not be even playing at Lord’s and the previous Test at Birmingham if it had not been for India’s strategy to beef up their batting after the lower-order collapsed in a heap in both the innings of the first Test. His superior batting also made him move ahead of Kuldeep Yadav in the queue for selection for the second spinner’s role in the Birmingham Test. So far, Sundar has been doing his bits and pieces whenever his services were required. In the first innings of the second Test at Birmingham, he scored a vital 42 that helped India stretch their total to 587. He, however, managed to take only a solitary wicket in that Test.
His bowling finally came to the party at Lord’s when he took crucial 4 wickets in England’s second innings. This all-round performance in the series has helped Sundar prove his utility to the team, and also adds depth to the batting order.
After his four-wicket haul, would it be wise to claim Sundar has taken his rightful place as the suitable replacement for the legendary off-spinner R Ashwin in Tests?
Wickets of Root and Jamie Smith. Mighty contribution by Washington Sundar
— Cricketwallah (@cricketwallah) July 13, 2025
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Can Sundar carry Ashwin’s legacy at home?
Ashwin used to thrive in spin-friendly conditions in India where he and Jadeja made a successful spin combo. However, it was Ashwin who was always in the spotlight as he had the knack of running through the opponent’s batting order. Sundar is yet to play a full Test series at home as the leading spinner of the attack. Can Sundar do what Ashwin did in his whole career of single-handedly winning Tests for India at home?
It’s early days for Sundar, but the all-rounder has shown great performance with the ball, and can be groomed to lead the India spin attack at home. Besides, Ashwin has left a huge cricketing legacy behind where he mastered the art of off-spin bowling using his cricketing intelligence to great effect. For Sundar, it would be a tall task to replicate Ashwin’s records, but the all-rounder is definitely the spinner to watch out for at home.
Overseas play
Ashwin regularly lost out to Jadeja when the lone spinner was chosen in away venues, especially in SENA countries, as the latter was a better batter than the former India’s off-spinner. If Jadeja continues to be in the mix, Sundar too would struggle like Ashwin to get the lone spinner’s spot in the XI in away venues. However, as the ongoing England vs India series has shown, both Jadeja-Sundar can play in the XI if India need to strengthen their batting order. With age by his side, Sundar’s turn to become the leading choice as a lone spinner in the XI or spin-all-rounder would not be far away.
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