Support without clear role: Ashwin questions ‘misuse’ of Washington Sundar in Gautam Gambhir’s T20Is

Former India spinner Ravichandran Ashwin has questioned the way Washington Sundar is being used in India’s T20I side, saying the all-rounder has not been given a clear role despite still getting opportunities.Ashwin, in his appearance on YouTube in Hindi, Ash Ki Baat, said that Sundar has the support of the team management but is often underutilized with both bat and ball.“Washington has the support of this team (management). He seems to be an automatic choice in this line-up. They support him, but I feel that even when they play him, there is no specific role for him. There are times when he is on the field, sometimes he gets it, sometimes he doesn’t. If you remember, during the T20 World Cup, they (Washington’s deputy team management, who play a lot up) stepped down from Patel. Get,” 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 numbers also raise questions about how Sundar was used. He has only batted 26 times in 61 T20Is and scored at a strike rate below 130, making it difficult to classify him as a finisher.With the ball, he took 51 wickets in 57 innings at an economical pace of just over seven runs an over. He has delivered 1,049 legal balls in T20Is, which works out to around 18 deliveries per bowling innings. This means that he often did not complete his full quota of four overs.Since the start of his T20I career, Sundar has bowled all four overs only 25 times in 57 innings of bowling. When he completed his quota, his economy rate improved to 6.65 compared to a career economy of 7.05, while his strike rate fell below 20 balls per wicket compared to 22.2 when he bowled only part of his quota.Ashwin also questioned Sundar’s batting role.“Even in batting, they use him as a finisher and he is not a finisher. He should have a floating role like Axar Patel used by the Rohit Sharma-Rahul Dravid duo. It feels like a misuse of Washington Sundar’s role. If you really want to give Washington a long rope, bring him in just after the end of the Powerplay. If you have to give it full, give him the Ax quota” you know if he will grow into that reliable all-rounder,” Ashwin said.Sundar made his India debut before turning 18 and has now spent almost a decade in the senior ranks. However, questions remain as to whether he is viewed as a batsman who can mix off-spin or a front-line batsman who can contribute with the bat.In his last 12 T20Is, with the exception of two unbeaten matches in Australia, Sundar’s bowling load has varied significantly. He bowled one over in five of his last 10 innings while bowling just 1.2 overs in another, despite taking career-best figures of 3 for 3 after cleaning up the Australian tail.The Ireland series may not be of major consequence, but the debate over Sundar’s role continues as India look to build a settled T20 side.