Former England skipper Nasser Hussain didn’t hold back as he questioned India captain Shubman Gill’s tactics during the Manchester Test. He criticized Gill for delaying Washington Sundar’s introduction, even as England’s top order dominated a toothless Indian seam attack.
England easily surpassed India’s first-innings 358. All four of their top-order batters scored over 70 runs—something that hadn’t happened in 77 years. Joe Root led the charge with his 38th Test hundred, later turning it into his 16th 150-plus score.
Despite England reaching 305/2, Shubman Gill didn’t turn to Sundar until the 69th over. Hussain was baffled. “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,” wrote Hussain in his DailyMail column.
Sundar Strikes Late and Makes an Instant Impact
Once introduced, Washington Sundar quickly turned the game around. He broke the 144-run partnership between Ollie Pope and Joe Root by tempting Pope into a loose drive. KL Rahul caught it cleanly at first slip. Shortly after, Sundar dismissed Harry Brook with a beautifully flighted delivery. Brook charged down the track and was stumped by Dhruv Jurel.
“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?”
Sundar ended the day with 2 wickets for 57 runs in 19 overs. He was India’s most effective bowler—despite coming into the attack late.
England finished the day with a 186-run lead. India will now have to regroup quickly. However, Gill’s decisions—especially the delay in using Sundar—have sparked widespread criticism.
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