"Haven't seen a spin bowler in England get such beautiful drift" - Ex-captain questions Washington Sundar’s delayed introduction in Manchester Test

Former England captain Nasser Hussain admitted he was surprised to see Washington Sundar come to bowl so late on Day 3 of the fourth Test at Old Trafford in Manchester. Hussain reflected on Sundar's performance at Lord's, saying he had rarely seen a spinner generate as much drift as the young player did in England.

With England cruising at 305/2 on Day 3 and trailing by only 53, Shubman Gill didn't bring Sundar to bowl until the 69th over. India ended the first session wicketless, but the off-spinner struck in his second over after lunch, removing Ollie Pope for 71. The 25-year-old dismissed Harry Brook for 3 in his seventh over, dragging India back into the contest.

Writing in his column for The Daily Mail, the 57-year-old stated that Sundar should've come to bowl on Day 2 in Manchester itself after tea.

"Ben Stokes got his five-for from the Brian Statham End, where there is extra bounce, yet Jasprit Bumrah did most of his bowling from Sir James Anderson end. Then, when the sun did come out after tea on day two and the pitch did get flatter, they completely overlooked bowling Washington Sundar, not turning to him until the 69th over when England were 305 for two."

Hussain observed that the off-spinner carried his confidence from Lord's to Old Trafford, claiming that he bowled wonderfully.

"It was astonishing. You could tell he was full of confidence by the way he spoke so boldly about winning at Lord's, after taking four wickets, and I haven't seen a spin bowler in England get such beautiful drift, even against the wind. He made an impact, the moment he was introduced to the attack, getting Ollie Pope and Harry Brook in quick succession, leaving you wondering: where he's been?'"

The spin-bowling all-rounder was the pick of the bowlers for the tourists in their second innings of the third Test at Lord's. Despite the pitch not offering enough assistance, he took outstanding figures of 12-2-22-4, dismissing Ben Stokes, Joe Root, Jamie Smith and Shoaib Bashir.

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"They needed to bowl short to him" - Nasser Hussain baffled by India's approach against England star

Nasser Hussain. (Image Credits: Getty)

Hussain also felt India didn't get their lengths right to Joe Root either and that the dismissal of lbw was needed to bring more into play, adding:

"The way India bowled to Joe Root was baffling too. Root is now intercepting the ball 27 centimetres closer to the bowler than he did when India were here in 2018, and yet on the quickest, bounciest pitch in the country historically, he received two bouncers up until lunch on day three. They needed to bowl short to him, forcing him back in the crease and bringing LBW into the equation."

Root amassed 150 off 248 deliveries and is now the second-highest run-getter in Test cricket. As far as England go, they have amassed a lead of 186, finishing Day 3 on 544/7.

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Edited by Vaishnavi Iyer