Ex-India Batter Says Washington Sundar 'Not Even Half of Ashwin': 'He Has to Improve His Bowling'

Visakhapatnam, India – Former Indian cricketer Mohammad Kaif has ignited a debate about the role and effectiveness of Washington Sundar in the national team, particularly in comparison to Ravichandran Ashwin. Ahead of the third ODI against South Africa, Kaif questioned Sundar's credentials as a bowling all-rounder, suggesting that he hasn't demonstrated the spin quality expected at the international level and needs significant improvement in his bowling.

Kaif's criticism comes on the heels of Sundar's recent performances, where he has struggled to make an impact with the ball. In the first two ODIs against South Africa, Sundar bowled a mere seven overs without taking a wicket. With the bat, he has only managed 14 runs.

"The management can answer what Washington's role is. He is not even half of Ashwin if we talk about skills as a spinner," Kaif stated bluntly on his YouTube channel. He highlighted that captains often prefer Ravindra Jadeja and Kuldeep Yadav in pressure situations, indicating a lack of trust in Sundar's ability to pick up wickets at crucial moments. "When the game is tight, they go to Jadeja and Kuldeep. There is no trust that he can pick wickets at any stage, like how it is with Kuldeep. He will have to work a lot on his bowling," Kaif added.

Kaif further elaborated that Sundar's undefined role in the team is hindering his development. He believes that the team's expectations of Sundar to contribute with both bat and ball are putting undue pressure on him. "First of all, his wicket-taking ability is less, and now you want Sundar to bat and are just putting more pressure on him. It is like he is neither a bowler nor a batter," Kaif explained. He suggested that the team should focus on defining a clear role for Sundar, emphasizing that while his batting is a bonus, his primary responsibility is bowling.

"Make him do one thing and give him a clear role. He can play the role of Axar in batting in the middle. That is fine. But his main role is bowling," Kaif asserted. He warned that if Sundar's bowling continues to decline, as evidenced by the limited overs he's being given, he risks falling further behind. "Batting is a bonus. But if his bowling gets bad, which is evident as they are not giving overs, he will go further behind in bowling. He will have to work on his skills and variations as a bowler. If he wants to play longer for India, he has to improve his bowling," he concluded.

Sundar made his international debut for India in 2017 and has since played in all three formats of the game. He played a crucial role in India's Test win at the Gabba in 2021 against Australia. He has been a regular feature in T20Is, especially in powerplays, and has been a useful lower-order batsman and economical off-spinner in ODIs.

While injuries have caused setbacks, Sundar has made strong comebacks, with his fitness and workload carefully managed. In the IPL 2025, playing for Sunrisers Hyderabad, he continued to impress with both bat and ball, proving effective in the powerplay and contributing down the order.

Despite these contributions, the pressure on Sundar to perform consistently, particularly with his bowling, remains high, especially with comparisons to Ashwin.

The upcoming third ODI against South Africa will be a crucial opportunity for Sundar to address these concerns and demonstrate his value to the team.