Without a doubt, Washington Sundar is more than capable with the willow and can be relied upon to score crucial runs.
Washington Sundar’s selection in the 2025 Champions Trophy squad came as a bit of a surprise as India could have picked another pacer instead. However, his inclusion probably took into account the conditions because India will play all their games in Dubai, where spinners buy more in each phase.
He can also bat a bit in the lower order and contribute useful runs, and Gautam Gambhir’s penchant towards all-rounders is well known. Therefore, while India had the option of having another player in the team, they opted for an offside one.
However, Ravichandran Ashwin has kept his expectations high from Sundar and asked the team to use their batting more. On his YouTube channel, Ashwin suggested that he should bat in the top five because it changes the dynamic of the team.
“I feel like Washington Sundar will have a slightly bigger role in the batting order. In the future, playing 4 or 5 and bowling will give you that balance. Just think about it. If the balance outside the spinner is among the top 5, the dynamics change. He has to bat in the top 5 and then it opens a whole new door for you. It offers many options.”
Examining Washington Sundar’s batting capabilities in white-ball cricket
Without a doubt, Washington Sundar is more than capable with the willow and can be relied upon to score crucial runs. But he may not be good enough to bat in the top five, as Ashwin suggested.
His career ODI numbers read: 315 runs at an average of 24.23 and a strike rate of 82.89 in 14 innings. The key is that Sundar does not have different batting teams to adjust and bat according to the situation in the limited overs format, which is a key reason behind his abysmal T20 batting numbers after so many matches.
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Also, India’s top five batsmen are sorted and there is no room to shuffle or bring in a new batsman as they have all done their job consistently. So even if the team plays Sundar, they should place him somewhere at 7th or lower.
Since KL Rahul will not take wickets, India will play Rishabh Pant at number 5 as the wicketkeeper batsman. Therefore, they also get an LHB in their top five, leaving no room for Sundar’s promotion.
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