Washington Sundar seemed like only guy the New Zealand batters were dreading: Saba Karim

It has only been two days since the second Test between India and New Zealand has got underway, and in all honesty, it has been the hosts which have been under the pump for major sections of this ongoing game.

Similar to Sarfaraz Khan, who was the lone standout performer in India's series-opening loss in Bengaluru, it has been the returning Washington Sundar up until this point. The final seven of the Kiwi's first innings wickets were gobbled up by Sundar. He continued in his own merry way in the BlackCaps' second essay as well, dismissing four of the five batters up until Stumps of Day 2.

Former India wicketkeeper-batter, Saba Karim, expounded on why Sundar, who was playing his first five-day international in more than three years, was a tough nut to crack for the opposition batters.  

"It seems only Washington Sundar was the only bowler who the New Zealand batters have been dreading, because the height plays a big factor and maybe that's the reason why he has been drafted in the side. The pace he generates and the bounce he is able to extract is really good. I think he has been increasingly deceptive in his trajectory to beat the batters," stated Karim while speaking to JioCinema.

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This performance should really embolden Sundar's Test career: Karim

Karim also observed that the Tamil Nadu all-rounder should be able to be a regular in the Test setup for quite some time bearing in mind how the current outing has panned out.

"He has taken a long time to get back into this Test side, but I think this Test match performance should really embolden Washington Sundar's career from hereon," added Karim.

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Interestingly, Sundar has played only four Tests for India preceding this one. He has been given an increased number of opportunities for the white-ball setup, and has more-or-less become a staple for the limited overs side.