IND vs SA: The curious case of Washington Sundar - No.3 batter or bowling allrounder?

The allrounder impressed with his method against rotation successful the archetypal Test but volition helium get a longer tally arsenic a specializer No.3 batter? If helium does, volition India beryllium compromising connected his bowling abilities?There was a clip successful his vocation erstwhile erstwhile England batter Kevin Pietersen was struggling to play spin. He sought retired batting fable Rahul Dravid, who suggested that helium should effort and play England spinners Monty Panesar and Graeme Swann connected the beforehand foot, wearing lone a genu guard, successful the nets.Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SUBSCRIBE NOW!

It was to guarantee that ‘KP’ ever defended with the bat successful beforehand of his pad. Current Team India manager Gautam Gambhir mightiness person taken a cue from his predecessor erstwhile helium asked Sai Sudharsan to play astatine the Eden Gardens nets connected Tuesday without a backmost pad against spin. It’s Sai’s inclination to compulsively spell connected the backmost ft against rotation that Gambhir wanted to curb. Against Keshav Maharaj and

Simon Harmer

connected a turner, it tin beryllium fatal and rather clearly, the manager has him successful his thoughts for the archetypal XI successful the 2nd Test that starts successful Barsapara, Guwahati, connected Saturday.The large question that arises if Sai is included successful the XI concerns different promising cricketer —

Washington Sundar

, who impressed with his method against rotation connected a raging turner successful the archetypal Test astatine the Eden Gardens. If Sai is slotted backmost successful his accustomed No. 3 spot, what happens to Sundar, who showed glimpses successful Kolkata of playing rotation impressively good connected the beforehand foot?Washington, connected a precise hard pitch, lasted 82 and 92 balls crossed the 2 innings, scoring 29 and 31 respectively.

Gambhir said successful the property league aft the lucifer that helium was precise impressed with the mode the gangly southpaw batted. In the 2nd innings, Washington’s quality to play with a agelong stride guardant and blunt the rotation that was connected connection from the South African spinners indispensable person impressed the coach, who has been near desperately looking for answers aft the humbling decision successful the bid opener.

Former Test opener and elder manager WV Raman, who has seen ‘Washy’ mature arsenic a top-level cricketer, feels the left-hander inactive has chinks successful his method against rotation — helium takes a large stride guardant but tends to play from the crease.

“Sometimes a precise agelong stride connected a turner tin beryllium counterproductive. My proposition is to instrumentality a half-stride, gauge the magnitude and play accordingly. Having said that, I deliberation Washy has the astir water-tight method among the toporder batters successful the Indian team,” Raman told TOI.

But if Sai plays, Washy volition erstwhile again person to determination down the order, thing that Raman says helium doesn’t want. “I americium each for Sai playing, helium is besides a precise bully and sincere batter.

But we should effort and find a imperishable slot for Washy astatine the apical of the order. He needs that assurance and if helium gets that, I deliberation helium volition prosper,” Raman added.Gambhir has been somewhat impatient with his No. 3 batter since the clip helium took implicit arsenic coach. In a way, his hands were tied due to the fact that Shubman Gill, who was first-choice No. 3, wanted to go the caller No. 4 aft Virat Kohli’s status and the skipper was allowed to instrumentality that slot, fixed his existent stature.

Sai was Team India’s first-choice No. 3 erstwhile Gill went down 1 spot but successful England, Karun Nair played a mates of Tests successful that slot erstwhile the Tamil Nadu subordinate was dropped. Against the West Indies successful New Delhi, Sai got 87 and 39. Raman feels the southpaw has worked beauteous hard connected his frontfoot game. “You tin spot that helium is getting amended and it’s not an casual prime for the squad absorption to instrumentality a telephone connected the No. 3, fixed the mode Washy batted arsenic well,” Raman said.The question besides needs to beryllium raised whether, successful India’s desperation to marque Washy a top-order batter, they volition compromise connected his bowling abilities. He bowled lone 1 implicit successful the Kolkata Test and Raman surely feels helium is overmuch amended than that.“Washington is not a before-lunch alteration bowler, helium is an highly susceptible off-spinner. Having said that, helium is fundamentally a top-order batter who bowls. The squad should groom him that way,” Raman added.