2 days ago
9
ARTICLE AD BOX
Washington Sundar in action. (PTI photo)
Similar to the Test series against South Africa earlier, Washington Sundar’s role in the ODIs, too, is not defined clearly. If he batted at three in the Kolkata Test and then was pushed down in the Guwahati one in the ODI series, he got to bat at five and six respectively in Ranchi and Raipur, but with the ball, he bowled seven overs. Former Indian cricketer R Ashwin, though, has said Sundar needs to be treated as a bowler who can bat; if you go the other way, he will be searching for who he is.
“Once you have decided to play Washington Sundar, you’ve to treat him as a bowler who can bat. You’ve to bowl out his overs. Only if he keeps bowling, he’ll have the mindset of a bowler who can bat. Otherwise if he just bats and bowls a few overs, he’ll keep searching who he is. So don’t leave him in the searching space. Instead, the team should arrive at giving him the proper role clarity,” said Ashwin on his YouTube channel.
Dinesh Karthik on Sundar
Sundar played a stoic hand in his two innings at number three, albeit in a losing cause for India in the Eden Gardens Test against South Africa. On a crumbling and creaking Kolkata pitch, Sundar emerged in the unlikely role and succeeded with control rather than most of his peers during an embarrassing 30-run defeat.
Former India wicket-keeper Dinesh Karthik, however, cautioned against the decision to put Sundar at No. 3 as a long-term move. The Tamil Nadu all-rounder replaced state his teammate Sai Sudharsan in the order, with India opting for four spinners on a rank turner. Karthik added that with Sundar forced to focus more on his batting, his bowling load will automatically dwindle even in practice sessions.
“Where is Washington Sundar the Test player, being looked at? Is he a bowler who can bat? Now if you are sending him at three, you are almost telling him that he needs to focus a lot more on batting. The moment he starts spending those long hours for batting in practice, you tend to reduce your practice for bowling because it is physically impossible to be good at both.
“So the message is very straightforward that we are looking at big runs from you. This could affect his bowling in the long run. It is a very tricky one,” Karthik said on Cricbuzz.
English (US) ·