Washington Sundar’s sensational spell puts India in command

Earlier in the day, Washington Sundar stole the limelight with a career-best bowling performance that saw New Zealand bowled out for 259. Sundar, playing his first game in the series, made an immediate impact winning 7 wickets for just 59 runs. His brilliant effort, which included dismissing five batsmen through clean-bowled deliveries, left New Zealand’s line-up in disarray after a solid start by their top order.

Devon Conway (62) and Rachin Ravindra (56) stood out for the Kiwis, providing resistance with well-crafted half-centuries. However, Sudar’s impressive bowling turned the tide in India’s favourpreventing New Zealand from capitalizing on its platform and consolidating them into a modest total.

Sundar, who was added to the squad ahead of the 2nd Test, returned to the lineup with fire, making up for his absence in the first game of the series. His spin, accuracy and ability to extract spin from the Pune pitch proved too much for the visitors, overshadowing the contributions of Conway and Ravindra.

India now face the challenge of chasing down New Zealand’s total with plenty of batting depth, but much depends on the partnership between Gill and Jaiswal as they face New Zealand’s disciplined bowling attack led by Southee.

Day 2 promises to be a riveting contest as India look to take control of the match while New Zealand aim to take advantage of the conditions and make further inroads into India’s top order.