There is no doubt that Washington Sundar is a fine utility cricketer. There is also not much doubt that Washington has improved as a spin bowler, and he has some ability with the bat. He also played a useful innings in the second T20I against England in Chennai. But hidden beneath that handy knock lies a problem, especially in the shortest format of the game: Washington largely struggles to land the big shots.
For someone who mostly bats lower down the order, it is imperative that Washington has enough shots in the locker. Now, let’s do some number-crunching to validate the hypothesis that Washington perhaps doesn’t have enough tools to up the ante. After playing as many as 60 Indian Premier League (IPL) games, Washington’s strike-rate is just 116.31. In an era where you expect a No. 6 or No. 7 batter to showcase his pyrotechnics, that is a low figure.
Even if we break it down to the last five seasons of IPL, Washington has scored his runs at a strike-rate of more than 120 only in one edition of the tournament. His strike-rate of 121.38 in 54 T20Is is also on the lower side. So, in that context, it shouldn’t come as a major surprise that Washington managed just six runs off 15 deliveries in the third T20I against England. Granted that the Rajkot track was a touch two-paced, alongside offering some turn, but it is reasonably clear that power-hitting doesn’t come naturally to Washington.
To illustrate the point even further, let’s take into consideration the opening T20I from last year’s series between India and Zimbabwe. Washington grappled to land meaty blows in the slog overs. He also couldn’t farm the strike well while batting with the lower order. Consequently, India slipped to a 13-run loss, with Washington being the last man out for 27 off 34 deliveries.
Washington still has some noteworthy qualities for the T20 format. One of them is that he can be a useful weapon with the ball in hand, in the powerplay overs. His record too corroborates that: 48 wickets at an average 23.5 and an economy rate less than seven. But the downside to that is he has bowled just two overs in the series so far. It is fair to say that the leadership group doesn’t exactly trust his bowling. England’s batters are also quite comfortable against finger spin. Most of their issues have come while facing Varun Chakaravarthy’s variations, control and pace through the air.
Washington might have a bright future in Test cricket. He has already given enough evidence of his traits with the bat in the longest format. To make it even better, he has been imparting a little more overspin on the ball in the last few months.
However, going forward, the selectors and the Indian think-tank need to delve deeper into whether he deserves a place in the squad in the abridged versions of the game, especially T20Is. If the answer is ‘Yes’, then they have to find ways to get the best out of him. Asking Washington to bat at six or seven, with his role being that of a power-hitter, doesn’t seem to suit his game.
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