E-Paper
Sign in
Karthik puts out probing question after Gautam Gambhir's bold Washington Sundar move: 'If you're sending him at 3...'
Dinesh Karthik expressed concern that pushing Washington Sundar up to No. 3 could disrupt his core skillset.
Washington Sundar received a major elevation in the batting order for the Eden Gardens Test against South Africa, a move that came on the back of his impressive run with the bat during the England tour. His recent consistency convinced head coach Gautam Gambhir and captain Shubman Gill to take the bold step of pushing him up to the No. 3 spot, displacing Sai Sudharsan for the high-stakes fixture.
Sudharsan, who stepped into the India side during the England tour, had been trusted with the No. 3 role—especially after Gill shifted himself to the No. 4 slot. The youngster also impressed in the same position in the West Indies, scoring a composed fifty. But in Kolkata, Gambhir opted for a different route altogether. In a bold reshuffle, India went in with four spinners and pushed Sundar up to No. 3, leaving Sudharsan out despite his recent performances.
Veteran wicketkeeper batter Dinesh Karthik expressed concern that pushing Washington Sundar up to No. 3 could disrupt his core skillset, warning that such a batting-heavy workload may inevitably eat into the time and focus required to sharpen his bowling in Test cricket.
“Where is Washington Sundar the Test player, being looked at? Is he a bowler who can bat? Now if you are sending him at three, you are almost telling him that he needs to focus a lot more on batting. The moment he starts spending those long hours for batting in practice, you tend to reduce your practice for bowling because it is physically impossible to be good at both," Karthik said on Cricbuzz.
“Message is very straightforward…”: Dinesh Karthik
Sundar chipped in with useful knocks of 29 and 31 after being pushed up to No. 3, showing decent composure in an unfamiliar role. But while his batting contributions stood out, his impact with the ball was minimal—just a solitary over in the first innings and none in the second.
Karthik further cautioned that India’s move comes with a clear expectation of heavy runs from Sundar at No. 3—an adjustment he believes could gradually take a toll on the all-rounder’s bowling rhythm and long-term development.
“So the message is very straightforward that we are looking at big runs from you. This could affect his bowling in the long run. It is a very tricky one,” said Karthik.
