Washington Sundar has been part of India's T20I setup for almost nine years, but questions about his role in the team continue to surface. Despite being backed regularly by the selectors and team management, the all-rounder has often been used in different ways, leaving many wondering where he truly fits into the side.
Former India off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin recently spoke about the issue after India's defeat to Ireland in the opening T20I in Belfast. Sundar had a quiet outing, conceding 19 runs in his only over before scoring 9 runs from 12 deliveries while batting at No. 6.
On his YouTube show Ash Ki Baat, Ashwin said India clearly trusts Sundar, but the team has not given him a well-defined responsibility.
"Washington keeps getting opportunities, which shows the management believes in him. But I still don't know what role they want him to play. Some games he bowls just one over, while in others he doesn't bowl at all," Ashwin said.
Ashwin also reminded fans that India had preferred Sundar over vice-captain Axar Patel during the T20 World Cup, a decision that reflected the confidence the team had in the young all-rounder.
However, he questioned why that confidence has not translated into giving Sundar a consistent workload with the ball.
The statistics support Ashwin's argument. Out of the 57 T20Is in which Sundar has bowled, he has completed his full spell of four overs only 25 times. In his last 10 bowling appearances, he has managed a full quota on just two occasions. Three times he bowled only two overs, while in the remaining five matches, he was used for just one over.
Ashwin believes this stop-start approach is preventing Sundar from reaching his full potential.
"If India wants to build him into a reliable all-rounder, they need to trust him with a complete role. Bring him into the attack after the power play and allow him to bowl all four overs, just as they do with Axar Patel. You cannot judge a player's growth without giving him enough chances," Ashwin explained.
ALSO READ: IND vs IRE: Abhishek Sharma Just Two Sixes Away From Breaking Massive T20I World Record
Sundar's batting numbers also highlight the uncertainty surrounding his position in the team. He has batted in 26 T20I innings and has scored at a strike rate of 129.24. While those figures are decent, they are lower than what teams generally expect from a player finishing the innings in modern-day T20 cricket.
With India continuing to invest in Sundar, Ashwin feels the next step should be giving him a fixed role instead of changing his responsibilities from one match to another.