India spinner Washington Sundar reckons that Kuldeep Yadav got more purchase in the second Test match against West Indies at Arun Jaitley Stadium in New Delhi because he is a wrist spinner. Kuldeep was the pick of the bowlers for the Shubman Gill-led side, where as many as 13 out of the 20 wickets were picked up by the spin troika, and Kuldeep has a match haul of 8 for 186 in 55.5 overs across two innings.
Sundar for Kuldeep Yadav's bowling
Sundar managed to pick one wicket in 36 overs, and veteran Ravindra Jadeja claimed four wickets in a total of 52 overs.
"I think he (Kuldeep) bowled really well. He hit those areas really well and being a wrist spinner, he probably got a bit of purchase here and there as well and that definitely helped," Washington told reporters after the fourth day's play in the second Test.
"But yes, I think all the bowlers bowled really well. Even the quicks bowled their hearts out. So, yes, as I said, it's really heartening to have taken 20 wickets on this track," Washington added.
Washington Sundar on the Delhi pitch
He felt that the wicket was no different to what Kotla has been producing over the years.
"This, I would say, is a typical Delhi wicket, where there is not much bounce and obviously, there wasn't a lot of turn on offer also in this game. But yeah, different venues play out quite differently, and that's the beauty about this format in particular."
"We play in a lot of different conditions -- be it home or away and obviously, all those conditions and the opposition challenge our skill sets and that's the beauty of this format. We keep going," the lanky all-rounder said.
Sundar explained how the England series helped India
Sundar believes that the five-Test match series of the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy 2025 prepared them well as Team India bowlers have sent down more than 200 overs in the second Test.
"I mean, the England series definitely made us understand what it actually 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 isn't something very new to us.
"One thing for sure is that we have got to be really fit and on top of our game in that aspect and in Test cricket you honestly expect that. You expect most of the Test matches to go until the fifth day and challenge you in every way possible."
India vs West Indies Day 4 report
India were 58 runs away from the win as they ended Day four of the second Test at 63 for one, inching closer to a series whitewash. Chasing 121, India lost opener Yashasvi Jaiswal (8) early, but KL Rahul (25 batting) and Sai Sudharsan (30 batting) shifted the momentum of the game.
Earlier in the day, West Indies showed resilience through a defiant 79-run partnership for the last wicket between Justin Greaves (50 not out) and Jayden Seales (32). Their stand frustrated India before pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah broke through to dismiss Seales.