Former Indian cricketer Mohammed Kaif has come down hard on the Indian team management for the lack of clarity over Washington Sundar’s role in the ODI setup. The Tamil Nadu all-rounder was benched for the IND vs SA 3rd ODI after a couple of poor performances with the bat and being underutilized with the ball in the first two games. Kaif noted that Sundar has a lot of work to do in terms of improving his bowling, adding that it was imperative for him to do so in order to prolong his international career. Follow IND vs SA 3rd ODI live here.
Kaif blasts Agarkar, Gambhir over Washington Sundar’s role
In a video on his YouTube channel, Kaif remarked that Sundar was nowhere close to Ashwin in terms of skill set. The former Indian cricketer pointed out that across formats, no captain wanted to give the all-rounder his full quota of overs, suggesting that it could be lack of trust in his abilities.
“The management should define what Washington’s role really is. Skill-wise, he is nowhere close to Ashwin as a spinner. Across formats, different captains have avoided giving him full overs. When the match gets tight, they always go to Jadeja or Kuldeep. That shows the lack of trust in his wicket-taking ability. He has a lot of work to do on his bowling,” Kaif said.
Sundar managed to score just 13 and 1 runs with the bat in the 1st and 2nd ODI while he bowled just seven overs across the two games. Kaif pointed out that it looked like the all-rounder was neither a reliable bowler or a dependable batter at the moment. He said that Gautam Gambhir must give him clear direction as to what is expected from him, adding that he needs to work on his variations and skill set if he wants to stay in the scheme of things for long.
“Right now, he looks neither like a reliable bowler nor a dependable batter. You want him to bat more, but his bowling is dipping. His main job is to take wickets; batting is supposed to be a bonus. If his bowling keeps slipping and the team doesn’t give him overs, he’ll fall further behind. He needs clearer direction and must work on his variations and skill set if he wants a long run in international cricket,” Kaif added.
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