WASHINGTON SUNDAR said he "will never forget" his return to the India side after taking seven wickets on Thursday (24) as New Zealand were spun out for 259 on day one of the second Test.
India were 16-1 at the close in Pune, losing captain Rohit Sharma for a nine-ball duck to a Tim Southee delivery that crashed into the off-stump via the pad.
Yashasvi Jaiswal, on six, and Shubman Gill, on 10, were batting with the hosts trailing by 243 runs.
Devon Conway, 76, and Rachin Ravindra, 65, led the New Zealand batting after captain Tom Latham won the toss.
"Everything that happened today was pleasing," said off-spinner Sundar after taking 7-59.
"Lot of things that I can say mean a lot to me and are very special. Really grateful for this day. I don't think I will ever forget this day."
Fellow off-break bowler Ravichandran Ashwin returned figures of 3-64 as New Zealand were all out in 79.1 overs.
The pitch is expected to turn more as the match progresses as India look to level the three-match series after their opening defeat in Bengaluru.
Conway and fellow left-hander Ravindra put on 62 runs for the third wicket, but Sundar struck on either side of tea.
Sundar, who was back in the side for the first time since 2021, justified his return with his first five-wicket Test haul from five appearances.
"It was God's plan," Sundar said. "I just wanted to focus on every single ball. I didn't try to change too many things, but tried to wary my pace and hit consistent lengths."
After removing Southee to bring up his fifth wicket, the 25-year-old mopped up the tail in the final session.
Sundar's first wicket came when he bowled Ravindra for 65 to break a 59-run fourth-wicket stand with Daryl Mitchell as New Zealand collapsed from 197-3.
"Washington bowled really well," New Zealand batting coach Luke Ronchi said.
"Towards the back end (India) started to slow their pace," he added.
"That made for more turn and bounce and variable reactions off the surface and I think that is something what we can use in our bowling."
Conway reached his 11th Test fifty with a four soon after lunch and put on 62 runs with fellow left-hander Ravindra to thwart the Indian attack.
Ashwin, who took two wickets before lunch, broke through to get Conway caught behind on a delivery that turned from a good length outside the off-stump.
The wicket took Ashwin past Australian spinner Nathan Lyon's 530 wickets to place him seventh in the list of leading Test bowlers.
Latham and Conway blunted the opening pace attack of Jasprit Bumrah and Akash Deep prompting Rohit to bring on Ashwin in the eighth over.
He struck with his fifth ball to trap Latham lbw for 15.
Conway then put on 44 with Will Young and the two looked comfortable before Ashwin struck again to get Young caught behind for 18.
New Zealand won the opener for their first Test victory in India since 1988 and are looking to clinch the three-match series.
The eight-wicket win in Bengaluru was New Zealand's third Test victory in India, but they have never won a series in the country.
(AFP)
