Focused on hitting particular areas, changed my pace here and there: Washington Sundar

Pune: All-rounder Washington Sundar stole the show on the first day of the second Test against New Zealand with career-best bowling figures of 7-59.

Veteran off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin bagged the first three wickets of the day as Sundar went on to snare the remaining seven wickets for India. Sundar credited his adjustments to length and pace for the achievement.

"I wanted to be very accurate no matter what situation I was bowling or which batsman I was coming across. It was God's plan, just came through really well. I just focused on hitting the particular areas, changed my pace here and there, just really grateful," he told broadcasters after the end of the day's play.

Sundar revealed the side thought of getting turn from the pitch from the first day itself which eventually did. "We genuinely felt it will start spinning from day one. It did spin in the first session but don't think it did a lot in the second. The pitch settled down from the third session, but eventually, it did spin," the Tamil Nadu all-rounder said.

The 25-year-old expressed his excitement on getting a chance to play for India after not being part of the opening Test in Bengaluru. IANS

Scoreboard  

New Zealand: 1st innings

*Tom Latham               lbw b Ashwin                   15

Devon Conway             c Pant b Ashwin               76

Will Young                    c Pant b Ashwin               18

Rachin Ravindra           b Sundar                         65

Daryl Mitchell                lbw b Sundar                   18

Tom Blundell                b Sundar                         3

Glenn Phillips                c Ashwin b Sundar          9

Mitchell Santner            b Sundar                         33

Tim Southee                 b Sundar                         5

Ajaz Patel b Sundar                         4

William ORourke           not out                             0

Extras: 13; Total:                             259-10 (79.1)

FOW: Latham (32-1, 7.5), Young (76-2, 24), Conway (138-3, 43.2), Ravindra (197-4, 59.1), Blundell (201-5, 62), Mitchell (204-6, 63.3),  Phillips (236-7, 73.4), Southee (242-8, 75.1), Patel (252-9, 78), Santner (259-10, 79.1)

Bowling:

Jasprit Bumrah             8                  2                  32                0

Akash Deep                  6                  0                  41                0

RAshwin                       24                2                  64                3

Washington Sundar23.1                   4                  59                7

R Jadeja                       18                0                  53                0

India: 1st innings

Yashasvi Jaiswal           not out                             6

*Rohit Sharma              b Southee                        0

Shubman Gill                not out                             10

Total:                                               16-1 (11)

Bowling:

Tim Southee                 3                  1                  4                  1

William ORourke           3                  2                  5                  0

Ajaz Patel 3                  1                  5                  0

Mitchell Santner            2                  0                  2                  0

Also Read: Washington Sundar added to India’s squad for Test series against New Zealand

Also Watch: