Washington Sundar’s place in the Indian cricket team has become a moot point due to his impact with the ball fading under Gautam Gambhir’s regime. Former Indian cricketer Mohammad Kaif has publicly expressed his concern over how Washington Sundar has been used in recent months.
Despite Gautam Gambhir’s preference for deep lineups and all-rounders, Sundar’s biggest strength fades at the wrong time, Kaif pointed out. Despite getting regular chances, his bowling was nowhere near what India would expect from a front-line player across formats.
Washington Sundar will have to work a lot on his bowling: Mohammad Kaif
Even Washington Sundar’s batting style is not impressive either, especially in the white-ball format. The worrying signs became louder in the ongoing three-match ODI series against South Africa, with Sundar making just three overs in the first match and four in the second.
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The pressure increased further when Sundar failed to use the bat as well, scoring just 13 and 1 in the two ODIs against South Africa. With his batting not helping and his bowling losing, Kaif asked Gambhir and chief selector Ajit Agarkar about his exact role in the team.
“The management can answer for Washington’s role. He is not even half of Ashwin if we talk about his skills as a spinner. Even in Tests and ODIs, under different captains, they have not given him any but all of them are full overs. When the match is tense, they go to Ravindra Jadeja and Kuldeep Yadav. There is no confidence that he can pick wickets at any stage, as with Kuldeep he will have to work a lot on his bowling,” Mohammad Kaif said in a video on his YouTube channel.
Mohammad Kaif questions Washington Sundar’s role after sluggish bowling and batting failures
Kaif pointed out that Sundar’s wicket-taking ability has declined, and the team’s efforts to make him contribute more with the bat are only adding to the pressure. He believes the Indian off-spinner needs to be clear about his main role, and his core strength should be bowling, not batting.
The former India batsman also explained, “First of all, his wicket-taking ability is less, and now you want Sundar to bat and put more pressure on him. It’s like he’s neither a fielder nor a batsman. Make him do one thing and give him a clear role. He can play Axar Patel’s batting role in the middle overs. That’s good. But his main role is bowling. Batting is a bonus.”
Muhammad Kaif questions the future of Washington Sundar
Kaif also mentioned that Sundar has to work hard on his versatility and all-round skill set if he wants to have a long future with the Indian cricket team. Notably, the Indian team is all set to face South Africa in the third and final ODI on December 6 in Vizag.
“But if his bowling gets worse, which is obvious because they are not putting in any effort, he will fall far behind in his bowling. He will have to work on his skills and variations as a bowler. If he wants to play longer for India, he will have to improve his bowling,” he signed off by saying.
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2025-12-06 04:42:00
