Washington Sundar finds himself in a challenging phase in ODI cricket, but India’s assistant coach Ryan ten Doeschate believes the young all-rounder is putting in the hard yards to sharpen his 50-over skills. The biggest concern currently lies in his finishing ability with the bat. In Ranchi, Sundar’s 13 off 18 balls stalled India’s momentum, and in Raipur, a brief seven-ball stay for just a single run further exposed his struggles in the final overs.
With that context, it wasn’t surprising to see Sundar stay back for an extended nets session on Friday. Head coach Gautam Gambhir and batting coach Sitanshu Kotak kept a close eye as he repeatedly practised clearing the in-field, facing both seamers and spinners, assisted by local net bowlers. The message was clear—India want him to embrace the specialised late-overs role with more confidence.
Ryan ten Doeschate acknowledged the effort and intent Washington has been showing behind the scenes. “Washi is still learning when it comes to batting. Coming in the late overs is a very specialised role now, and there are a few things he’s working hard to improve,” he said ahead of the series decider.
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Bowling hasn’t been a consistent part of Sundar’s white-ball outings either. In 2025, he has featured in only five ODIs and has bowled his full quota of overs in just one match. Doeschate explained this through India’s match-up-based approach.
“With finger spinners, match-ups against left- and right-handers become crucial. Washi is effectively one of six bowling options along with Jadeja and Kuldeep. In these conditions, we rarely look to bowl more than 20 overs of spin,” he added.
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Despite limited opportunities and modest returns, Ryan ten Doeschate insisted that Sundar’s morale remains intact. “This won’t dent his confidence. He’s had a very good past 12–16 months and shown real fight even in these two difficult games.”
