Former India captain Sourav Ganguly slammed the Indian team for playing Washington Sundar at the crucial No.3 position during the Eden Gardens Test, where India suffered a humiliating defeat by 30 runs.
Sundar performed decently during the game, scoring 29 and 31 in two innings, respectively, but said that the team needs specialist batters at the top five positions. Ganguly added that Sundar might struggle in the challenging conditions of South Africa, England, Australia, or New Zealand.
“It’s been a tremendous time for Washington Sundar. I think he’s a good cricketer, he bowls well, he bats well, but I’m not too sure whether No. 3 is a spot for him in Test cricket in the long run, across all conditions,” Ganguly said in an interview with India Today.
“Your top five batters, openers, No. 3, No. 4 and No. 5 must be specialists who can perform in those roles everywhere, and I’m not convinced Washi is India’s No. 3 in England, Australia, South Africa or New Zealand. That’s something Gautam needs to look at,” Ganguly said.
No Need For Four Spinners
Meanwhile, India played four spinners in the first Test – Ravindra Jadeja, Kuldeep Yadav, Axar Patel, and Washington Sundar, but Ganguly feels there is no need to play that many spinners on turning tracks as not all can bowl all overs, and one of them will be underbowled. He suggested India to rethink thier team combination.
“He doesn’t need four spinners in India, especially when Washi bowled only a single over in the entire Test. When the pitch spins and the main spinners can deliver 20-30 overs, you don’t need four of them. So he needs to consider all of this,” Ganguly added.