Undoubtedly, Washington Sundar is more than capable with the willow and can be trusted to score crucial runs.
Washington Sundar’s selection in the Champions Trophy 2025 squad was slightly surprising, for India could have gone for another pacer in his place. However, his inclusion probably kept the conditions in mind because India will play all their games in Dubai, where the spinners purchase more in every phase.
He can also bat a bit in the lower order and chip in with useful runs, and Gautam Gambhir’s bias towards all-rounders is well-known. Hence, while India had the option of another wrist spinner in the squad, they opted for an off-spinner.
However, Ravichandran Ashwin has kept his expectations high with Sundar, asking the team to use his batting more. On his YouTube channel, Ashwin suggested he should bat in the top five because it changes the team’s dynamics.
“I feel that Washington Sundar will have a slightly higher role in the batting order. In the future, playing at 4 or 5 and bowling will give you that balance. Just think about it. If the off-spinner balance is in the top 5, it changes the dynamics. He has to bat in the top 5, then it opens up a completely new gate for you. It throws a lot of options.”
Undoubtedly, Washington Sundar is more than capable with the willow and can be trusted to score crucial runs. But he might not be good enough to bat in the top five, as Ashwin suggested.
His ODI career 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 doesn’t have different batting gears 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.
Further, India’s top five are sorted, and there is no room for shuffling or bringing in a new batter since they all have done their jobs consistently. So, even if the team plays Sundar, they must slot him somewhere at No.7 or below.
Given that KL Rahul won’t keep the wickets, India will play Rishabh Pant at No.5 as a wicketkeeper batter. So, they also get an LHB in their top five, leaving no place for Sundar’s promotion.
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