Ravichandran Ashwin has urged the Indian team management to treat Washington Sundar like a frontline bowler who can bat and not the other way around. Ashwin believes that Sundar, who has long been considered
the former’s heir, will ‘keep searching for who he is’ until he is given ‘proper role clarity.’
Sundar was slotted into the huge responsibility of number five in India’s first of three ODIs against South Africa. He managed only 13 (19). In the second match, he was pushed down to number six but could only score a solitary run. He got only seven overs with the ball across the two games and has yet to pick a wicket.
It suggests India are looking at the 26-year-old like a middle-order batter who can chip in with a few overs as the sixth option.
“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,” Ashwin said on his YouTube channel, countering the tactic after India suffered a four-wicket loss in the second ODI. “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 for who he is. So don’t leave him in the searching space. Instead, the team should arrive at giving him the proper role clarity.”
Further, Ashwin also criticised the team’s decision not to choose Nitish Kumar Reddy in the team over Sundar. The former spinner believes that Reddy would have been a more like-for-like replacement for Hardik Pandya, who missed the series due to injury, and made sure India didn’t suffer finishing issues.
“India also didn’t finish well with the bat in both ODIs. Especially when you don’t have a finisher like Hardik Pandya, why didn’t a similarly powerful Nitish Kumar Reddy play?” said Ashwin. “I am not sure if they are looking at Rishabh Pant as a finisher or not. India are not able to provide that finishing punch. So should an extra fast-bowling all-rounder play instead of a spinning all-rounder?” he added.
The series is leveled 1-1 and the third ODI will take place in Vizag on Saturday.
