England and India are battling it out in the fourth Test at Old Trafford, Manchester, with the hosts dominating proceedings. After dismissing India for 358, England made a powerful response, racing to 332/2 by lunch on Day 3, thanks to a massive 166-run opening stand between Zak Crawley and Ben Duckett. Amid this onslaught, the legendary England bowler, Stuart Broad, raised questions about why Indian captain Shubman Gill delayed the introduction of off-spinner Washington Sundar, especially after his impressive four-wicket haul (4/22) in the previous Test at Lord’s that helped skittle England out for just 192.

The Indian bowling attack appeared toothless on a surface that seemed to favour turn, and Sundar’s absence was puzzling given his recent form. When Sundar was finally brought on just before the lunch break, he immediately impressed with his drift and control. Former England pacer Stuart Broad also noted the late introduction, pointing out the noticeable drift Sundar generated. His entry brought some relief for the visitors, who desperately needed breakthroughs after a frustrating morning session dominated by England’s top-order batters.

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“All around Old Trafford, everybody had been saying, ‘Where is Washington Sundar, why are we not seeing him?’ They were 300/2 and we hadn’t seen the off-spinner, he got four wickets in the first innings at Lord’s,” Broad said on JioHotstar during the lunch interval.

I was really surprised: Stuart Broad

Stuart Broad remarked that Washington Sundar bowled just three overs before lunch and immediately generated noticeable drift against the right-handers, which brought the outside edge into play. He expressed surprise at the situation and stated that, in his opinion, it was a mistake by Shubman Gill not to introduce Sundar earlier in the game.

“He came for three overs pre-lunch and you saw he got the drift against right-handers, looked like outside edge came in the game. I was really surprised, it was a mistake by Shubman Gill to not bring (him) in the game," he added.