Ravi Shastri is perhaps the most successful Indian coach. When he says something, we may not agree with him but we will better listen to him. He has views on almost everything related to cricket. Some of them, he imposes on the viewers quite forcefully. Ofcourse, that is his way of putting his point across. There is nothing wrong with that. Afterall, he has earned that right after a successful stint as coach of the Indian team for 7 long years. So, when he says that Sundar is the future of India and that T20s must be restricted to World Cup only, it is better to listen to him. Whether I agree or disagree with him, I will explain indetail. Let me offer my two cents on Ravi Shastri’s views on Sundar and T20.
Shastri about Washington Sundar
“He is going to be one of India’s leading allrounders,” Shastri said on ESPNcricinfo’s analysis show T20 Time:Out. “He is the future. You have [Ravindra] Jadeja today. Three years down the line, if Jadeja is still fit, he will play. There is Axar [Patel] around. But this guy is your premier allrounder across all three formats of the game. Hear what I am saying. Three formats of the game.
“This guy is a serious cricketer. He is still very young, he has got to understand his own game, how good a player he is. Shot selection will come, especially for the white-ball format. [If he] works on his fitness so that he is not injury-prone, India have got a serious cricketer in him. Across all formats of the game. I think it is up to him really to do the hard yards on fitness. No excuse. He can’t depend on X, Y, Z. He has to look at himself in the mirror and say I want to work hard and I want to be the leading allrounder in Indian cricket over the next three years. And he can do it. Easy.”
My take about Shastri’s comments
Sundar is certainly a bright prospect. During the Australia tour, he wasn’t expected to play in a test match but he did and performed rather admirably. Everyone talks about that fabulous innings by Rishabh Pant. Ofcourse, it must never be forgotten but it must also be remembered that Sundar played a couple of fabulous innings himself. His 60-odd in the first innings in partnership with Shardul Thakur was good but his second innings cameo was exceptional. Here was a youngster in his very first test and that too in Australia against the likes of a very good Australian attack, batting fearlessly. The six of the backfoot of the bowling of the world’s best bowler, Pat Cummins, was a standout shot. If someone can play that quality of a shot against Cummins, he must be exceptional.
Infact, if not for his quick innings, there was every chance that Pant would have shut shop earlier and he may not have had the inclination to win the game. At that point, the required runs were higher for three tail-end wickets. It is safe to assume that Sundar reduced the required runs to something manageable by Pant alone without the help of the tail, he was able to create history.
Sundar is not an allrounder
I do agree with Shastri when he says he is one for the future. Having said that, where I differ with him is in Sundar being an all-format player and an allrounder at that. Before I elaborate on my point, he is not just the one for the future but he is also the one for the present.
Now, coming back to my point of him not being an all-format player and an allrounder, I do not see that in Sundar. First of all, it is wrong to classify Sundar as an allrounder. He is not. He is a batsman who if required, can also bowl. His bowling at the highest level is not threatening. Leave alone threatening, it is not even good enough for good batsmen. Let us remember that against England in India, he was dropped for the 2nd test when Axar Patel returned despite a solid 85 although in a losing cause. It was because the management thought of him as an allrounder who can fill only that slot reserved for an allrounder. An allrounder who was not good enough to retain his spot despite good innings.
At best, he is the 6th bowler in the team. He is just like Steven Smith. I am not saying that Sundar’s batting is as good as Smith’s though he can measure upto that level through sheer dedication and commitment. The skill part is anyway taken care of. Smith started his career as a leg-spinning lower-order hitter. His bowling was downright atrocious. It took him sometime to realise that he is better off concentrating on his batting and forgetting his bowling. The results are there for all to see. Smith is currently among the best in the business.
Sundar must concentrate on batting
Sundar is in a similar boat. He must forget his bowling and concentrate on batting. He has all kinds of shots and can succeed against any bowler anywhere. After the twin innings in Australia, he played another match-winning innings, in that same series against England on drastically spinning pitches. In such a short career so far, he has shown how good he is. If at all he has a weakness, it is on his mind. Perhaps he thinks that with so many batsmen competing for 5 positions, he can lay claim to the allrounder’s role for which the competition is limited. If that is so, he must change his thinking because he is good enough to compete against other batsmen for one of the top 5 spots. Remember, he opens the batting for Tamil Nadu.
Conclusion to Ravi Shastri’s views on Sundar and T20
Shastri is correct when he says that Sundar will have to improve his fitness. Fitness nowadays in sports is non-negotiable. Indian bowlers have benefitted from improved fitness. Similarly, if Sundar longs to play the longest format and score tons of runs, he must remain in peak fitness. A stop-start career will neither do him good nor the team. The left hander’s grace, he has it in him naturally. Now, everything depends on him and solid backing from the team management so that his full potential can be realised for the benefit of Indian cricket.
I know this is quite lengthy. So I will write about Shastri’s take on T20 in another blog.