'He is not even half of Ashwin': Mohammad Kaif unleashes harsh assessment on Washington Sundar’s skills
Published - 06 Dec 2025, 10:12 AM
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Washington Sundar’s spot in the Indian cricket team has become a talking point due to his fading impact with the ball under Gautam Gambhir’s regime. Former Indian cricketer Mohammad Kaif has openly expressed concern about how Washington Sundar has been used in recent months.
Despite Gautam Gambhir’s preference for bat-deep line-ups and multi-skill players, Sundar’s biggest strength is slipping away at the wrong time, as pointed out by Kaif. Even though he has been getting regular chances, his bowling has been nowhere close to what India expects from a frontline spinner across the formats.
Washington Sundar will have to work a lot on his bowling: Mohammad Kaif
And even Washington Sundar's batting form is not also that impressive, especially in the white-ball format. The worrying signs became louder in the ongoing three-match ODI series against South Africa, where Sundar delivered just three overs in the first match and four in the second.
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The pressure grew even more when Sundar failed with the bat as well, scoring only 13 and 1 in the two ODIs against South Africa. With his batting not helping and his bowling losing bite, Kaif questioned Gambhir and chief selector Ajit Agarkar about what exactly his role in the team is.
Mohammad Kaif said in a video on his YouTube channel, “The management can answer what Washington's role is. He is not even half of Ashwin if we talk about skills as a spinner. Even in Tests and ODIs, under different captains, not one but all of them have not given him full overs. When the game is tight, they go to Ravindra Jadeja and Kuldeep Yadav. There is no trust that he can pick wickets at any stage, like how it is with Kuldeep. He will have to work a lot on his bowling.”
Mohammad Kaif questions Washington Sundar's role after bowling dip and batting failures
Kaif noted that Sundar’s wicket-taking ability has reduced, and the team’s effort to make him contribute more with the bat is only adding extra stress. He believes that the Indian off-spinner needs clarity about his main role, and his primary strength should be his bowling, not batting.
The former Indian batter further explained, “First of all, his wicket-taking ability is less, and now you want Sundar to bat and are just putting more pressure on him. It is like he is neither a bowler nor a batter. Make him do one thing and give him a clear role. He can play the role of Axar Patel in batting in the middle. That is fine. But his main role is bowling. Batting is a bonus.”
Mohammad Kaif doubts over Washington Sundar’s future
Kaif also mentioned that Sundar must work hard on his variations and overall skill set if he wants to have a long future with the Indian cricket team. Notably, the Indian team is all set to face South Africa in the third and final ODI on December 6 in Vizag.
He signed off by saying, “But if his bowling gets bad, which is evident as they are not giving overs, he will go further behind in bowling. He will have to work on his skills and variations as a bowler. If he wants to play longer for India, he has to improve his bowling.”
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Washington Sundar Gautam Gambhir Mohammad Kaif India National Cricket Team India vs South AfricaAbout the Author
Rashmi Wasnik is a passionate content writer with over a decade of experience. She started her journ...
