Indian cricket team would be keen to make a statement that they are not done yet after losing the ODI WC 2023 final against Australia. Washington Sundar will have to perhaps play the role of premier spinner against Australia. Washington Sundar can be played as a pinch hitter as he has got a wide range of shots and can stun the opposition.
It would be interesting to see whether the Ajit Agarkar-led selection panel has moved on from Rohit Sharma & Virat Kohli as resting the duo for the high-voltage series doesn’t sound good. The management needs to manage the workload of Hardik Pandya smartly as according to sources with knowledge, he is ruled out till South Africa white ball leg.
Since the Aussies are set to play 5 T20I match series, we can expect a cracker of a series as both the teams have got good depth in all the 3 facets of the game. Skipper Suryakumar Yadav will be tested in what will be his major T20I series as a leader and we should not forget that Aussies have named a full-fledged squad.
Washington Sundar is so fragile that he gets injured anytime and then it becomes a problem- Aakash Chopra
Aakash Chopra was seen speaking on his YouTube channel. Aakash Chopra stated that Washington Sundar is coming after a good Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy but pointed out that his problem is fitness. Aakash Chopra said that Washington Sundar is quite fragile and gets injured quite quickly which can be a concern for the team.
“Washington Sundar, you are looking at all-rounders – left-handed batter, right-arm off-break, he bowls in the powerplay and is an excellent utility player. He is coming after playing well in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy,” said Aakash Chopra.
“However, the only problem is fitness. He comes with a ‘fragile’ sticker. He is so fragile that he gets injured anytime and then it becomes a problem. However, in my opinion, he adds a lot of value in T20 cricket because he can bat in different positions and bowl well,” he stated.
“It will have to be firstly seen whether he gets a chance to play here, and if he gets it, how he fares, because a long list of all-rounders has gotten prepared now. There is a list of spinners ready as well,” he added.
“In that aspect, the first match is going to be very important, that what sort of selection the Indian team does, whom all they play. Shivam Dube, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar – can they play all three of them and (Ravi) Bishnoi as well – that will be a big one,” he concluded.