Gautam Gambhir Asked to Give Clarity to Washington Sundar After Raipur Loss: 'Don't Leave Him in Searching Space...'

Ind vs SA: It was a day to forget for Team India in Raipur as they lost the second ODI on Wednesday against South Africa by four wickets. Following the loss, coach Gautam Gambhir faced criticism for not giving clarity to allrounder Washington Sundar over his role in the ODI set-up. Former India cricketer R. Ashwin advised Gambhir to treat him as a bowler who can bat. He reckoned if Sundar just bats and bowls a few overs - he will keep searching who he is. 

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'Don't leave him in the searching space'

"Once you have decided to play Washington Sundar, you've to treat him as a bowler who can bat. You've to bowl out his overs. Only if he keeps bowling, he'll have the mindset of a bowler who can bat. Otherwise if he just bats and bowls a few overs, he'll keep searching who he is. So don't leave him in the searching space. Instead, the team should arrive at giving him the proper role clarity," said R. Ashwin on his YouTube channel. 

He added: "India also didn't finish well with the bat in both ODIs. Especially when you don't have a finisher like Hardik Pandya, why didn't a similarly powerful Nitish Kumar Reddy play? I am not sure if they are looking at Rishabh Pant as a finisher or not. India are not able to provide that finishing punch. So should an extra fast-bowling allrounder play instead of a spinning allrounder?"

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Can India Win ODI Series? 

The series is currently locked at 1-1, with the decider set to take place in Vizag on December 6. It is bound to be a mouthwatering clash between the two sides. Players would hope that they do not have to encounter too much dew there.