IND vs WI, 2nd Test: Washington Sundar hails bowlers’ gritty effort on slow Delhi pitch

Washington Sundar was pleased India’s bowlers dug into their reservoirs of patience and found a way past the adamant resistance of the West Indies batters, on more occasions than one, during the second Test against West Indies at the Arun Jaitley Stadium.

“On this kind of a wicket you just need to be a lot more patient and try to hit those areas more consistently. It’s good to be bowling long spells and very heartening to have actually taken 20 wickets on a pitch like this. All the bowlers bowled well; even the fast bowlers bowled their hearts out every single spell, so it’s heartening,” the off-spinner said after the fourth day’s play.

India had bowled out West Indies for 248 runs in the first innings on the third day in 82 overs. The follow-on imposition further prolonged India’s time in the field. The batter-friendly surface made the task sterner as West Indies batted for more than 118 overs in the second innings.

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Shai Hope and John Campbell put up the first big partnership, worth 177 runs for the third wicket, before Justin Greaves and Jayden Seales frustrated India with a rearguard alliance and secured a lead worth 120 runs, thus delaying India’s victory till Tuesday.

Washington, however, insisted that India was mentally up for a challenge. The England series also hard-wired India for an uphill battle, he added.

“It’s [the pitch] been slow throughout the game, I’d say. One thing for sure is that we have to be fit and on top of our game in that aspect, and in Test cricket you expect that most of the test matches to go until the fifth day and challenge you in every way possible.

We play in a lot of different conditions be it home or away, and all those conditions and oppositions challenge our skill sets. That’s the beauty of this format. I mean the England series definitely made us understand what it feels like to be on the field for five days because even in England we fielded for about 180-200 overs every game so this definitely wasn’t something very new to us,” the 26-year-old said.

Through the two-match series Washington has been mostly deployed through India’s bowling innings. He faced just 13 balls in the Ahmedabad Test and was not needed when India declared on 518 runs in the second Test. Nitish Kumar Reddy’s limited contributions through the two Tests have also raised concerns over India’s picks and team combinations.

Washington defended the team’s selections and emphasised how all-rounders can chip in at critical junctures of the game.

“You’re always in the game and you have an opportunity in both skill sets to make an impact for the team and eventually win the game. In Test cricket it’s better to have as many all-rounders, if you see, most of the teams who’ve dominated Test cricket for many years I think they’ve had good quality all-rounders in their lineup,” Washington said.

Published on Oct 13, 2025