former indian spinner Ravichandran Ashwin Questioned the road washington sundar The Indian T20I side is using, saying that despite constant opportunities, the all-rounder has not been given a clear role yet.Ashwin said in his Hindi YouTube show Ash Ki Baat that Sundar had the support of the team management but was often underused with the bat and ball.“Washington has the support of this team (the front office). Axar Patel Go play Washington. There’s so much support in Washington,” Ashwin said.In the first T20I against Ireland, he bowled just one ball, coming on in the 16th over, and later scored 9 off 12 balls after coming on in the 6th over.The figures also raise questions about how Sundar is being used. In 61 T20Is, he has batted just 26 times with a score rate of less than 130, making it difficult to classify him as a finisher.With the ball, he took 51 wickets in 57 innings with a saving rate of just over 7 runs per over. He bowled 1,049 legal overs in T20Is, which equates to around 18 bowling deliveries per innings. That means he often doesn’t complete his full quota of four rounds.Since the start of his T20I career, Sundar has been allowed to bowl a full four overs just 25 times in 57 bowling innings. When he fulfilled his quota, his economy rate improved from a career high of 7.05 to 6.65, while his strike rate dropped below 20 balls per wicket and when he bowled only part of his quota, his strike rate was 22.2.Ashwin also questioned Sundar’s batting touch.“Even in batting terms, they are treating him as a finisher and he is not a finisher. He should be played in a floating role like Axar Patel was used by the Rohit Sharma-Rahul Dravid duo in the past. It feels like Washington Sundar has been used in the wrong role. If you really want to give Washington a long rope, then bring him in after the Powerplay. You have to give him 4 like Axar did. Second rotation. If you don’t give a full quota, how do you know if he can develop into that reliable all-rounder,” Ashwin said.Sundar made his India debut before turning 18 and has now been playing in the senior team for almost a decade. However, questions remain as to whether he is seen as a batsman who can bowl off-spin, or a frontline off-spinner who can contribute with the bat.In the last 12 T20Is (excluding the two knockout matches in Australia), Sundar’s bowling workload has varied widely. He has bowled 1 over in 5 of his last 10 games and in the other he bowled just 1.2 overs despite taking a career-best figure of 3 for 3 after cleaning up Australia’s tail.The Ireland series may not have a major impact, but the debate over Sundar’s role continues as India looks to build a consistent T20 team.
