Former Indian spinner Ravichandran Ashwin was questioning the way Washington Sundar used in India’s T20I side, saying the all-rounder has not been given a clear role despite continuing to get opportunities.Ashwin, speaking on his Hindi YouTube show Ash Ki Baat, said that Sundar has the support of the team management but is often underused with both bat and ball.“Washington has got the support of this team (management). He seems to be an automatic choice in this line-up. They support him, but what I feel is that even when they play him, there is no special role for him. There are times when he is on the field, he gets one over, sometimes he doesn’t even get an over. If you remember, during the T20 World Cup, they (the team management) dropped the vice-captain Axar Patel play Washington. “Washington is getting so much support,” Ashwin said.In the first T20I against Ireland, he bowled just one over, introduced in the 16th over of the innings, and later scored 9 off 12 balls after coming on at No.6.The figures also raise questions about how Sundar was used. In 61 T20Is, he has batted just 26 times, scoring below 130, making it difficult to classify him as a finisher.With the ball, he took 51 wickets in 57 innings at an economy rate of just over seven runs an over. He has delivered 1049 legal balls in T20Is, which is around 18 deliveries per innings of bowling. This means that he often fell short of his full quota of four overs.Since the start of his T20I career, Sundar has been allowed to bowl the full four overs only 25 times in 57 innings of bowling. When he fulfilled his quota, his economy rate improved to 6.65 compared to his career economy rate of 7.05, while his strike rate fell to under 20 balls per wicket compared to 22.2 when he bowled only a fraction of his quota.Ashwin also questioned Sundar’s role as a batsman.“Even in batting, he is being used as a finisher and he is not a finisher. He should have floater role like Axar Patel used by Rohit Sharma-Rahul Dravid duo. It seems like a misuse of Washington Sundar’s role. If you really want to give Washington a long rope, bring him right after the Powerplay is over. You will have to give him 4 overs like Axar. If you don’t give so many odds, how will you know if he can grow into “The reliable one an all-rounder,” Ashwin said.Sundar made his debut for India before turning 18 and has now spent almost a decade around the senior side. However, questions remain as to whether he will be viewed as an off-spin batsman or an outside-the-frontline player who can contribute with the bat.In his last 12 T20Is, excluding the two washed out matches in Australia, Sundar’s bowling work has varied considerably. He bowled one in five of his last 10 overs while bowling just 1.2 overs in the second match despite a career-best 3 for 3 after clearing Australia’s tail.The Ireland series may not be of much consequence, but the debate over Sundar’s role continues as India look to build a composed T20 side.
