Follow UsSpeaking to Sky Sports on Day 4 of the third Test between India and England at Lord’s, Washington Sundar said: “Definitely India winning tomorrow, probably in the first session.” Chasing 193, India needed 135 runs and had six wickets remaining when the stumps were drawn on the penultimate day. Things, however, didn’t go as planned for India.
Jofra Archer and Ben Stokes dismantled India in the first hour of Day 5, getting three wickets in no time. Overnight batter KL Rahul and Rishabh Pant were the first ones to go before Washington himself got out to Archer for a four-ball duck.
Ravindra Jadeja (61* off 181) mounted a gritty resistance, with support from Jasprit Bumrah (5 off 54) and Mohammed Siraj (4 off 30), but it wasn’t enough. India fell short by 22 runs, allowing England to take a crucial 2-1 lead in the five-match series.
“Has he actually said that? Washington Sundar's interview where he says about, you know, when India win tomorrow, when we go 2-1 up. And I thought, I wonder if he's just sort of, you know, got his words out wrong, you know, hopefully we'll win,” former England white-ball captain Jos Buttler said on a YouTube show, as reported by the Hindustan Times.
“But it was the proper, you know, incredible confidence. Yeah, we're going to win. And it's always one of those moments where you're like, you don't miss a thing, do you, in this day and age? Someone will have heard about that in the dressing room. It's almost like instead of anyone having to say anything this morning for England you could have just played that interview and that would have got people so fired up.
“There's a little clip of when Washington came out to bat and McCullum over the balcony sort of you know telling everyone to raise it, it's the guy who's been chirping.
“You set yourself up, don't you? It's horrible. But you're like, no, everyone's all over me. I could have just come out here and tried to, you know, have a good game and try my best. But now everyone knows that what I've said in the media last night, and this is going to be, everyone's after me. Even McCullum, who's possibly the only time he didn't have his feet up. He's leant forward to say, come on. Let's ramp it up for this guy.”
The fourth Test will be played at Old Trafford, Manchester, from July 23.