Former India spinner Ravichandran Ashwin has questioned the way Washington Sundar is being used in India’s T20I side, saying the all-rounder has not been given a clear role despite continuing to get opportunities.Ashwin, speaking on his Hindi YouTube show Ash Ki Baat, said Sundar has the backing of the team management but is often underused with both bat and ball.“Washington has been backed by this team (management). He seems an automatic choice in this line-up. They are backing him but what I feel that even as they play him, there is no specific role for him. There are times he is on the field, he gets one over, at times, he doesn’t even get an over. If you guys remember, during T20 World Cup, they (team management) dropped vice-captain Axar Patel to play Washington. That much back up Washington is getting,” Ashwin said.In the first T20I against Ireland, he bowled only one over, introduced in the 16th over of the innings, and later scored 9 off 12 balls after coming in at No. 6.The numbers also raise questions about how Sundar has been used. In 61 T20Is, he has batted only 26 times, scoring at a strike rate of under 130, making it difficult to classify him as a finisher.With the ball, he has taken 51 wickets in 57 innings at an economy rate of just over seven runs an over. He has delivered 1,049 legal balls in T20Is, which works out to around 18 deliveries per bowling innings. That means he has often not completed his full quota of four overs.Since the start of his T20I career, Sundar has been allowed to bowl his full four overs only 25 times in 57 bowling innings. When he has completed his quota, his economy rate has improved to 6.65 compared to his career economy of 7.05, while his strike rate has dropped to under 20 balls per wicket compared to 22.2 when he bowls only part of his quota.Ashwin also questioned Sundar’s batting role.“Even in batting, they are using him as a finisher and he is not a finisher. He should have a floating role like Axar Patel used to be used by Rohit Sharma-Rahul Dravid duo. It feels like a wrong role utilisation of Washington Sundar. If you really want to give Washington a long rope then bring him just after end of Powerplay. You will have to give him 4 overs like Axar. If you don’t give that full quota, how will you know if he can grow into that dependable all-rounder,” Ashwin said.Sundar made his India debut before turning 18 and has now spent almost a decade around the senior side. However, questions remain over whether he is being viewed as a batter who can bowl off-spin or as a frontline off-spinner who can contribute with the bat.In his last 12 T20Is, excluding two washed-out matches in Australia, Sundar’s bowling workload has varied significantly. He bowled one over in five of his last 10 bowling innings, while in another match he bowled only 1.2 overs despite taking career-best figures of 3 for 3 after cleaning up Australia’s tail.The Ireland series may not have major consequences, but the debate over Sundar’s role continues as India look to build a settled T20 side.
