LAST WEEK, when India slid to a shock defeat in the first Test against New Zealand in Bengaluru, all-rounder Washington Sundar was playing a Ranji Trophy game for Tamil Nadu in Delhi. He scored a hundred there and suddenly things began to stir in his life. Not only did he get a call from the national selectors for the second Test, but he also leapfrogged frontline spinner Kuldeep Yadav to make it to the playing XI for the game. And on Day 1 of the Test, when New Zealand were coasting at 197/3, with the celebrated pairing of Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja unable to get past the bat of the last game’s “player of the match” Rachin Ravindra, off-spinner Washington imposed himself on the game. More known for his batting in his short career of five Tests — averaging close to 50, he had made a stellar contribution with the bat in the famous Gabba win of 2021 — the 25-year-old proved to be India’s secret weapon with the ball. His 7/59 helped India …