Who said what - top 5 expert reactions to Washington Sundar's 4-fer in ENG vs IND 2025 3rd Test ft. Dinesh Karthik 

Team India all-rounder Washington Sundar played a starring role on Day 4 of the third Test against England at Lord's. The spinner triggered a collapse, accounting for key wickets like those of Ben Stokes, Jamie Smith, and Joe Root in the second innings to reduce England from 154-4 to 192 all out in the third session.

He finished with figures of 4-22 off 12.1 overs, and was the most economical bowler on show. Historically, Indian spinners have not fared well at Lord's in recent times, as a result of which Sundar's spell comes across as a massive feat.

He now has the fourth-best figures of an Indian spinner at Lord's, with the top three in the list being occupied by former legendary spinners, Bishan Singh Bedi, B Chandrasekhar, and Vinoo Mankad. It marked the first time in 51 years that an Indian spinner picked up four wickets in an innings at Lord's.

On that note, let us take a look at the top 5 expert reactions to Washington Sundar's 4-fer in ENG vs IND 2025 3rd Test.

#1 Dinesh Karthik

Washington Sundar's former Tamil Nadu teammate Dinesh Karthik hailed his spell, and noted how the spinner castled the batters. The right-arm off-spinner breached Joe Root and Ben Stokes as they tried to sweep him. Jamie Smith, on the other hand, played inside the line expecting the ball to turn, only for it to evade the outside edge and rattle the stumps.

"No one expected him to pick 4-22, but he ended up doing it. All four, big wickets, and bowled is the only form of dismissal he had across those four batters," Dinesh Karthik said on Cricbuzz.

#2 Michael Vaughan

The former England captain praised how Washington Sundar found drift and troubled the batters. However, at the same time, he also added that Ben Stokes and co. should have negotiated the off-spinner better, considering that there was not much turn from the surface.

"When England get bowled out in Pakistan or dusty pitches, or in India on the spinning wickets, I kind of understand that it is difficult. For Washington to get four after England were at 145-4, with Ben Stokes working hard, and England's best batter Joe Root still in, to think they have rolled out for 192, you think something is not right," Vaughan said on Cricbuzz. "For Washington to get four wickets on a pitch that is offering more to the seamer, I think England will look into that. If England want to be a top, top team, a brilliant team, you cannot allow an off-spinner to do that. He just drifted the ball, drifted it nicely. The ball to Jamie Smith was a good one, but the other three were really down to batting errors," he added.

#3 Sanjay Manjrekar

The former India batter predicted a bright future for Washington Sundar after his stellar display on Day 4, which included some key wickets. He noted how the all-rounder has been on the rise ever since coming into the squad midway through the home series against New Zealand in late 2024.

"Just a dream spell for him with the wicket of Joe Root, which is so hard to come by, he got him out. And then Jamie Smith, who could have just taken the game away from India in about 45 minutes, he got him out with a beauty. He keeps it simple and has a high-arm action, and even he is bowling slowly, he is quite quick," Manjrekar said on ESPNCricinfo. "We saw that against New Zealand (last year's home series), he filled Ravichandran Ashwin's boots quite effortlessly. The ball he should be proud of was the one which got Jamie Smith out. He has got the subtle skills as well and just needs a captain who feels that he is your wicket-taker whatever the conditions are, and there will be tremendous growth in this young man," he added.

#4 Aakash Chopra

The former India opening batter reckoned that Sundar has justified his selection from a bowling point of view as well after his brilliant four-fer at Lord's. The all-rounder was roped in after the first Test to extend India's batting, and while he has played his part in that regard, he has now stepped up with the ball as well.

"It was an important question whether he should have been selected or not. He hadn't picked up too many wickets so far. It always seemed like you were using him as a defensive option. However, this was an 'ati-sundar' spell. He gets the ball to drift beautifully," Chopra said on his YouTube channel. "When he dismissed Ben Stokes in the last match, there also he got the ball to drift in the air. If you see here, he has picked up big, big wickets, players we are scared of. No one is scared of Ben Stokes these days, but we are scared of Joe Root and Jamie Smith," he added.

#5 Irfan Pathan

The former India all-rounder made a Bollywood reference while trying to explain the value that Washington Sunar brings into the playing XI.

"The value of Washington sundar tum kya jano ramesh babu. But management ko pata tha. Washington Sundar has made solid impact in this game with these two crucial wickets. Bahot Sundar," Irfan Pathan posted on X.

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Edited by Gokul Nair