ENG v IND, Lord’s Test: Washington Sundar savours one of his best days with the ball, confident of India win

In his four-year-old Test career, Washington Sundar has claimed a couple of memorable four-fers, but the one at Lord’s on Sunday, was just that bit more special.

Bowling from the Nursery end, the Indian off-spinner bagged the prized wickets of Joe Root and Ben Stokes to help India restrict England to just 192. Though India’s late stutters with the bat have left the third Test is tantalisingly poised heading into the final day, Washington is confident of his team’s chances.

By his own admission, it was ‘definitely one of the best days with the ball’.

“I definitely had some solid plans coming into this Test match and I really wanted to execute them, both in first and second innings,” Washington told reporters after day’s play on Sunday.

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“I wanted to contribute to the team quite differently in different passages of play. But yes, the way it turned out for me as well as the team, is really good and very heartening for me,” he added.

Over the last few weeks, there were debates over the Indian team management’s decision to leave out Kuldeep Yadav for Washington. But he has, time and again, proven his mettle.

“This is a team game and as players, we have to do everything the team needs. At the end of the day, as long as the team wins, that’s all that matters,” he said.

“There are different rules thrown at me in different passages of play. I would say that’s where Test cricket gets a lot more exciting because you have to be a slightly different cricketer at least with your mindset on Day 5 as compared to the first. So I think it’s been going pretty well for me,” the 25-year-old said.

Washington expects the team to come out with a positive mindset on Monday and win the game. Meanwhile, England assistant coach Marcus Trescothick was hopeful of his team claiming the last six Indian wickets in the first hour of fifth day’s play.

Trescothick admitted that the side was eyeing a lead of more than 250 runs. He also hailed the intensity of the final hour of play where the crowd, too, got involved in the action and gave his boys ‘a lift’.