3 reasons why Washington Sundar could be India's trump card in the 2nd Test vs England

With Ravindra Jadeja ruled out of the second Test against England due to a hamstring injury sustained in the series opener, India have some decisions to make when it comes to the spin department.

Ravichandran Ashwin, Axar Patel and Kuldeep Yadav are the three frontline spinners who are expected to feature. Meanwhile, India have added Washington Sundar to the squad as Jadeja's replacement, and the young all-rounder is another enticing option.

India's squad for the second Test vs England: Rohit Sharma (c), Shubman Gill, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shreyas Iyer, KS Bharat (wk), Dhruv Jurel (wk), Ravichandran Ashwin, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Siraj, Mukesh Kumar, Jasprit Bumrah (vc), Avesh Khan, Rajat Patidar, Sarfaraz Khan, Washington Sundar, Saurabh Kumar.

Sundar has played only four Tests to date, but he brings plenty to the table and could be the ideal Jadeja replacement. He could be a surprise pick as the hosts try to pull level in the five-match series.

Here are three reasons why Washington Sundar could be India's trump card in the second Test against England.

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#3 India could use an extra off-spinner in the XI

Ravichandran Ashwin picked up six wickets in Hyderabad.

In Ben Duckett, Ben Stokes and Tom Hartley, England have three left-handers in their top nine. That might not seem like much, but Duckett and Stokes are two of the side's most important batters and need to be dismissed early.

During the first Test, there were phases in the game when both Jadeja and Axar were taken for runs. Having an additional off-spinner would've greatly helped India against Duckett and Stokes, who were happy to sweep and reverse-sweep whenever needed.

Even the right-handers were happy to reverse-sweep, meaning that direction of turn won't be as big a factor as expected. If Ashwin can be backed up by another offie in Sundar, India could find it much easier to build sustained pressure.

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#2 Washington Sundar's bowling could be Bazball's kryptonite

Washington Sundar's style of bowling could suit India.

On paper, Sundar's style of bowling could greatly help India against the English batters' primary strategies.

As a tall off-spinner who gets bounce, Sundar isn't the easiest bowler to sweep. He puts considerable overspin on his deliveries while also being quick through the air, and he might take the opposition's strengths away when he bowls to them.

Moreover, Sundar's bowling has developed well of late. The 24-year-old now has a quality arm ball in his locker, and if the pitch offers turn, he will be deadly against both righties and lefties.

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#1 Sundar will give India much-needed batting depth

We've seen what Washington Sundar is capable of with the bat.

Saurabh Kumar is part of the squad, and while he can bat a bit, he isn't an all-round option of Sundar's caliber. Among the potential Jadeja replacements, the Tamil Nadu cricketer is arguably the best bet to not sacrifice quality across both departments.

Sundar has already played memorable knocks in just four Tests, with his Gabba cameo being followed by a couple of solid efforts on turners at home. The left-hander is an assured player of spin, and being a left-hander, he can be used as a floater to break the rightie-heavy middle order if needed.

Sundar's batting will give him an edge over the likes of Saurabh and Kuldeep, although the latter is likely to feature in place of a fast bowler in Vizag. Nevertheless, India can't go wrong in picking an all-rounder for the second Test, in which lower-order runs are once again expected to have a big say.