IND vs SA: Ravi Ashwin urges Gautam Gambhir to clarify Washington Sundar’s role

A bowler who provides additional depth to the batting order or a finisher who can bowl a few overs when needed, what exactly is Washington Sundar to Gautam Gambhir? While the months leading up to the ongoing India vs South Africa series have blurred the distinction, Sundar clearly started out as a spin-bowling all-rounder. In the current scenario, Sundar’s role has grown hazy. Even in Tests, the spinner appears under-utilised with the cherry. Meanwhile, in the ongoing IND vs SA ODI series, Sundar has been slotted mainly as a finisher, a role that the all-rounder is yet to ace.

Ravi Ashwin wants Gautam Gambhir to give role clarity to Washinton Sundar ahead of IND vs SA Final ODI

Former India off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin has urged head coach Gautam Gambhir to outline a clear plan for Washington Sundar and define his responsibilities before the third and final IND vs SA ODI in Vizag. Across the first two matches of the three-game series, Sundar has struggled to make an impact, delivering below-par performances with both bat and ball. He walked in at No. 5, ahead of KL Rahul, in the series opener, and then shifted to No. 6 in the following fixture.

Sundar’s returns with the bat have been modest, managing only 13 and 1 in the two India vs South Africa ODIs. With the ball, he has remained wicketless, sending down just seven overs across both games. His limited use has sparked conversations around how effectively he is being deployed and whether his skill set is being tapped properly. A similar pattern was evident in the recent IND vs SA Test series, where Washington Sundar was promoted to No. 3 in the Kolkata Test but was pushed lower down the order in the next match once Sai Sudharsan was assigned the crucial one-down slot.

“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 for who he is," Ashwin said. "So don't leave him in the searching space. Instead, the team should arrive at giving him the proper role clarity,” he added.

Ravi Ashwin further pointed to India finishing with only 358 runs despite being placed comfortably at 284 for 4 after 40 overs. He hinted that the team management might need to rethink their combination and potentially consider a pace-bowling all-rounder like Nitish Kumar Reddy as an alternative to Sundar. The veteran cricketer also stressed that with the current, relatively inexperienced bowling group, this batting lineup must consistently target an additional 30-40 runs to stay competitive.

“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 allrounder play instead of a spinning all-rounder?" he added.

"We've lost quite a few bowlers in Tests and white-ball cricket. India have lost many experienced bowlers. And in all this, the X-factor is Jasprit Bumrah. If tomorrow he is not a full-time member in the squad, India will have to score 30 to 40 extra runs in every match," he rounded off.