Washington Sundar’s white-ball role shifted after Test cricket, Manjrekar says
Washington Sundar’s white-ball role shifted after he played Test cricket for India, according to Sanjay Manjrekar. The 26-year-old has bowled his full quota of four overs in only 27 of his 75 IPL appearances, a usage pattern that sits uneasily beside his batting and bowling record.
Manjrekar on Sundar’s shift
Manjrekar said the change started when Sundar’s batting at Test level drew fresh attention in Australia. He pointed to those tough conditions, where Sundar batted down the order and made 60 or 70 runs, as the moment his white-ball profile changed.
“I think his whole trajectory of his career changed when he played for India as a Test player, and everyone saw the batting side of Washington Sundar in tough conditions in Australia. He would bat down the order and get you 60, 70 runs.”
He added that Gautam Gambhir wanted him used “everywhere,” but said that approach went too far. “But I think that’s just getting a little too carried away,” Manjrekar said.
IPL usage and numbers
The numbers show the tension in that assessment. Sundar has 680 runs at an average of 17.43 and 40 wickets at 37.17 across 75 IPL appearances, while also playing for Rising Pune Supergiants, Royal Challengers Bengaluru, Sunrisers Hyderabad and Gujarat Titans.
He first broke through in the IPL for Rising Pune Supergiants in 2017, when he was primarily bowling in the PowerPlay and working with the new ball in the first six overs. Manjrekar said that early role is still the cleanest fit for him in T20 cricket.
“His exceptional showing at the Test level has got people excited with what he can offer with bat and ball. He’s got seven wickets in a Test match, he can play as a pure spinner, plus bat down the order and bat like a proper batter, which got Gautam Gambhir sometimes to promote him to number three.”
Off-spin and T20 value
That is where the complication sits. Manjrekar said he does not see Sundar as a pure bowler or a pure batter in white-ball cricket at the moment, and he wants him locked into a narrower T20 job rather than stretched across the order.
“I would like to extract that and make him that guy who will bowl the four overs, but four overs of off-spin, it’s a tough one to get away.”
For Gujarat Titans and for India’s T20 planning, the message is plain: Sundar’s Test batting lifted his profile, but the same rise has also blurred the role that made him most effective in the IPL. The next step is not more usage everywhere; it is choosing where the 75-match record actually points.
