Follow UsIndia fought back, not once but twice during the tour of England in 2025 as they won the second and the fifth Tests after losing the first and the third Tests to draw the five-match series 2-2.
It is this fighting spirit that made Washington Sundar, one of the crucial team members of the side on the tour, say that this is the kind of team he wanted to be a part of.
“There were so many individuals throughout the series who stepped up and won the situations and eventually won games for the team, and this is exactly the kind of team that we have always wanted to be in, and we were in this series, and we have created some amazing bonds on and off the field,” Sundar told Wisden.
The Tamil Nadu all-rounder scored his maiden Test ton to save the Manchester Test before almost pulling off a win in the Lord’s Test, which was his second of the series. He had picked a four-wicket haul to bring India back into that game.
Talking about how India were able to fulfil their potential as a young team in the series, Sundar said, “Coming into the series, we knew for a fact that all of us would have to put our hands up and step up in different situations. And at the end of the series, when we look back, that’s exactly what we have done.
“Truly, just the way the whole dressing room and the atmosphere were created. It was fabulous, it’s an amazing atmosphere and a space to be a part of because we are all quite young and that’s extremely exciting,” he added.
Talking about the final day of the fifth Test, when England needed 35 with four wickets in hand, Sundar said, “It was fabulous, just the way the game turned out to be after every session, especially on day five. That 40 minutes was super intense.
“When you know the target has come down to a single digit, you never know anything could happen, and literally one delivery could change the entire course of the game and take the game from the opposition,” he added.
In the final Test at The Oval, Sundar single-handedly added an invaluable 39 runs for the last wicket, which turned out to be priceless as India clinched the game by six runs.