After Washington Sundar, 26, bowled just one over and batted at No. 3 in both innings of the first Test match against South Africa at Eden Gardens in Kolkata, Dinesh Karthik questioned whether India is considering him as a batting all-rounder.
Karthik said that Sundar’s bowling skills may suffer in the long run if India urges him to concentrate more on his batting.
In 16 Test matches thus far, the Tamil Nadu all-rounder has taken 35 wickets at an average of 30.34.
“Where is the Test player being examined, Washington Sundar? Is he a batting bowler? You are essentially telling him that he needs to concentrate much harder on his batting if you send him off at three. Since it is physically impossible to be proficient at both bowling and batting, you tend to cut back on your bowling practice the moment he begins putting in those lengthy hours. Therefore, the message is clear: we anticipate big runs from you. Over time, this can have an impact on his bowling. It’s really difficult,” he stated on Cricbuzz.
Shaun Pollock on Sundar: “I always felt that he was underutilised.”
Shaun Pollock, the former captain of South Africa, praised Sundar for his application on a rank-turner in Kolkata. He hoped to see how he performed if the Indian team management gave him a run of four to five Test matches at number three.
“The appropriate word is application. At three, I believe he will still figure out his strategy for pacing his innings and deciding whether to be aggressive or upbeat. However, he merits a chance. You leave him there, give him four or five more Test matches, and then you watch how he does. If things don’t work out, you might want to consider changing. He was always underutilised, in my opinion. They most likely could have had a closer look at him. However, there is nothing wrong with his application when it comes to batting. As he progresses, he will continue to exercise,” Pollock stated.
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