Washington Sundar added to India’s squad for second and third Tests

The BCCI’s selectors have added Washington to India’s Test squad as its 16th member, without making any other changes.

On Sunday, New Zealand completed an eight-wicket win in the first Test in Bengaluru, their first Test win in India since 1988. The second Test is scheduled to start in Pune on October 24, and the final Test in Mumbai on November 1.

Washington has been part of India’s white-ball squads in recent months, but has not played Test cricket since March 2021. He was, however, part of their squad as a replacement for the injured Ravindra Jadeja during the home Test series against England earlier this year, and is viewed as a long-term prospect as a spin-bowling allrounder.

He has played four Test matches so far, all in the 2020-21 season, when Jadeja, their leading spin-bowling allrounder, was out injured. In those four Tests, Washington scored 265 runs, including three half-centuries, at an average of 66.25, and took six wickets with his offspin at 49.83. On debut, he played a key role in India’s famous win at the Gabba in January 2021, picking up three first-innings wickets and following it up with crucial lower-order innings of 62 and 22.

At the end of the 2020-21 season, during which he also impressed in the 3-1 home-series win over England, India’s then head coach Ravi Shastri told ESPNcricinfo that Washington would be India’s “premier allrounder across all three formats” in the future, and advised him to work on his fitness – his career has been interrupted by numerous injury breaks – and to bat up the order in domestic cricket.

In the Ranji match against Delhi, Washington batted at No. 3 and made 152, his second first-class century, in Tamil Nadu’s first innings. He said the team management had made the decision to promote him, and said he considers himself a top-order batter.

It is as yet unclear what role India have in mind for Washington in the Tests against New Zealand. They played three frontline spinners in Jadeja, R Ashwin and Kuldeep Yadav in Bengaluru, with Axar Patel in reserve. Jadeja, Ashwin and Axar are all allrounders.

It is possible Washington has been selected primarily as top-order cover rather than for his bowling. Going into the second Test, India have fitness concerns over their first-choice No. 3 Shubman Gill, who missed the Bengaluru Test with a stiff neck, and Rishabh Pant, who batted twice and scored 99 in the second innings but did not keep wickets for most of the match after taking a blow to his right knee.

Pant had undergone surgeries in both his knees after the life-threatening car accident in December 2022, and Rohit explained that Pant had been kept away from keeping duties “just to be a little careful about where he is at and what he is to us”.