IND vs NZ: Kiwis Fall In Front Of Washington’s ‘Sundar’ Bowling
Washington Sundar‘s surprise inclusion in the Indian Cricket Team test match squad after their defeat in the first Test against New Zealand raised many eyebrows, however India had a strategic reason behind bringing in the off-spinner. New Zealand’s batting line-up is replete with left-handers, and an off-spinner was brought in to counter that threat. Washington Sundar – A Move That Worked In India’s Favour Though few saw him bat his way in, with a firm sentiment of not having enough game time to justify an immediate promotion to the XI for the second test, India made a bold call and Washington Sundar repaid the faith by sending down a stunning delivery that dismissed the well-set Rachin Ravindra. Spinners Dominate On A Dry Pitch The dry pitch on day one has already begun to throw spinners into action, which is not the best for the batting line-ups on both sides. India is capitalizing on this situation to its advantage, as New Zealand batters have been a tough nut to crack for spinners all these years. All wickets so far have fallen to Indian spinners. Ravichandran Ashwin took the first three, while Sundar chipped in with two crucial strikes over Ravindra and Tom Blundell. Washington Sundar’s Magic Delivery To Rachin Ravindra Washington Sundar’s delivery to Rachin Ravindra was a textbook off-spinner’s wicket, combining his skill with the assistance of a turning track. Starting a new over, Sundar came around the wicket, cutting the ball in from wide of the crease to the left-handed Ravindra. Expecting the ball to turn in or only marginally deviate, Ravindra moved forward to defend, covering his off-stump. However, Sundar’s ball came in just a little behind fuller length, turned away sharply, and beat the outside edge, crashing into the stumps. The pace coming at 93.2 Kph, had hardly any time for Ravindra to react. It caught him off guard completely. India Strangles Batsmen as Pitch Wears Off The prized wicket of Rachin Ravindra, who had scored a century in the first test and was proving dangerous again, brought smiles on the faces of teammates. It again brought across the fact that dryness is the growing impact of the pitch and there is an increase in turn available, which will get only worsened from now on for batting. India’s spinners will only like to exploit it further and look for more breakthroughs in conditions that are likely to worsen henceforth. The Sportz Planet Desk,Atharva Shetye
