Washington Sundar achieves what Kumble, Ashwin, Harbhajan couldn't; joins Bishan Bedi in elite list

Washington Sundar produced a strong performance in the Lord's Test, finishing his bowling innings with a four-fer.

Washington Sundar produced a masterclass in control on a worn Lord’s pitch to give India the upper hand on day four of the third Test against England. The off-spinner returned remarkable figures of 4 for 22, the best by an Indian spinner at the venue this century, as England collapsed in their second innings to hand India a fourth-innings target of 193.

London: India's bowler Washington Sundar celebrates with teammates after taking the wicket of England's batter Shoaib Bashir (PTI)

Sundar, operating late in the English innings, ran through the host side's lower-middle order with the old ball, dismantling the resistance led by Joe Root and Ben Stokes. His spell wasn’t just the best in figures by an Indian spinner since this century but also historically economical; his four-wicket haul came at an economy rate of just 1.8, making it the most economical four-for by a visiting spinner at Lord’s since 2001.

The previous best figures by an Indian spinner at the ground this century belonged to Anil Kumble, who took 3/84 in 2007. In the broader context, Bishan Singh Bedi’s 6/226 in 1974 remains the best among Indian spinners at the venue.

Having dismissed Joe Root and Jamie Smith in a pivotal spell before tea, Sundar returned after the break to remove Ben Stokes, who had battled his way to 33. His final strike came when he cleaned up Shoaib Bashir to wrap up the innings for 192. England had started the final session at 175/6 but lost their last four wickets for just 17 runs.

Jasprit Bumrah, who had been held back for the final burst, chipped in with two crucial wickets, dismissing Chris Woakes and Brydon Carse to ensure there was no late resistance. He ended with figures of 2/38.

India chasing 193

Earlier in the day, Mohammed Siraj provided the early breakthroughs with a fiery spell that rattled England’s top order, while Akash Deep and Nitish Kumar Reddy also contributed with a wicket each as the hosts were reduced to 98/4 at lunch.

With both teams having posted identical first-innings totals of 387, the contest has boiled down to a straightforward fourth-innings chase. India will require 193 runs to seal a memorable win at Lord’s and take the lead in the series, with the pitch continuing to offer assistance to both seamers and spinners.