India's Head Coach names the greatest No. 8 player ever

Published - 01 Aug 2025, 02:17 PM | Updated - 01 Aug 2025, 02:20 PM

Ravindra Jadeja and Washington Sundar
Ravindra Jadeja and Washington Sundar. Image Credit: X

Washington Sundar scored his first-ever Test century and helped India escape a tough situation to draw the fourth Test match against England in Manchester. Washington Sundar continued to make an impact in the all-important fifth and final Test against England at The Oval.

India battled through tough conditions on Day 1 at The Oval to reach 204/6 at stumps. Karun Nair stood out with a calm and unbeaten 52, anchoring the innings after early setbacks against England. Yashasvi Jaiswal and KL Rahul fell quickly for 2 and 14, respectively, while the captain, Shubman Gill, was run out in a mix-up for 21 in the ongoing final Test at The Oval.

Washington Sundar shines again as India fights back in final Test at The Oval

Then, Sai Sudharsan (38) and Ravindra Jadeja (9) looked promising but couldn’t build on their starts. Later on Day 1, Karun Nair got good support from the wicketkeeper Dhruv Jurel (19) and Washington Sundar, but the latter failed to grab the opportunity with both hands.

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England bowlers had helpful conditions, but they failed to bowl consistently, sending down too many loose deliveries, and India made the most of these balls. Josh Tongue and Gus Atkinson impressed with four wickets together, while Chris Woakes, who scalped one wicket, suffered a shoulder injury and is likely to miss the rest of the fifth and final Test against India.

Apart from Nair, it was Sundar who also turned heads with his technique, resilience, and calmness at The Oval. They added an unbeaten 51 runs for the seventh wicket and would like to stretch this partnership on Day 2 of the ongoing final Test against England.

Ex-India women's head coach WV Raman hails Washington Sundar as India's finest No. 8 in Tests

Sundar will resume Day 2 on 19 alongside Nair against England. The spin all-rounder has been impressive so far in the ongoing Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy in England. Sundar has so far amassed 224 runs in seven innings at an impressive average of 56, mostly batting at the lower order.

Having been impressed by the all-rounder’s heroics in England, the former India Women head coach and selector WV Raman showered rich praise on Sundar. Raman hinted that Sundar might just be the best batter India has ever seen at No. 8, putting him ahead of icons like Ravindra Jadeja.

Read Also: Gautam Gambhir kicked aside as England veteran takes credit for Karun Nair's renaissance

WV Raman posted on X: “I have never seen anyone bat as well as #Washington at no. 8…. How about you?”

India creates history in England

Meanwhile, India has created a new record in the ongoing five-match Test series against England by scoring a total of 3393 runs so far. This is now their highest total in any Test series.

The previous best was 3270 runs, which came in a six-match home series against the West Indies back in the 1978-79 season. Also, India’s total runs in this series are the highest by any team in a Test series since 1995.

Additionally, both England and India made four changes each for the fifth Test at The Oval. This is a rare moment in Test cricket, as the last time both teams made four or more changes in the Test series was back in 2003. Sri Lanka and Pakistan did the same in a Test match in Kandy.

Rashmi Wasnik

Rashmi Wasnik is a passionate content writer with over a decade of experience. She started her journ... Read more

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