New Delhi: Washington Sundar made a wild card entry into the national squad at the ongoing test series against New Zealand to overhaul their spin department which already has 5 world-class spinners- Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel and Kuldeep Yadav.
Although the move to include Washington will strengthen the side even more in the spin department, the question remains was it necessary to include the right-arm off-spinner all-rounder? Team India is trudging on delicate grounds and it needs to carefully plan out to qualify for the WTC Finals. Out of the remaining 7 matches (5 from the Border Gavaskar Trophy and 2 from the ongoing series), India needs at least 5 wins to avoid a bumpy ride to the finals.
Source: EspnCricinfo
Therefore, to strengthen the batting department, Gautam Gambhir and Co. requested the inclusion of Sundar in the side. Sundar who is a handy lower-order left-hander batsman will provide the extra cushion to Gambhir as he plans out a fail-proof lineup ahead of the 2nd Test at Pune. India’s batting has received a major jolt with Shubhman’s stiff neck, Rishabh Pant’s knee injury and KL Rahul’s ever-declining form which was evident in Bangalore.
India’s updated squad for the 2nd and 3rd Test against New Zealand
Rohit Sharma (C), Jasprit Bumrah (VC), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, KL Rahul, Sarfaraz Khan, Rishabh Pant (WK), Dhruv Jurel (WK), Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohd. Siraj, Akash Deep, Washington Sundar.