Representing India in Test cricket changed Washington Sundar’s white-ball trajectory: Sanjay Manjrekar
Sanjay Manjrekar has suggested that representing India in Test cricket may have led to confusion over how to best utilise Washington Sundar’s abilities in the shorter formats of the game.
Washington – who has represented Rising Pune Supergiants, Royal Challengers Bengaluru, Sunrisers Hyderabad, and Gujarat Titans (his current franchise) – has 680 runs at an average of 17.43 and 40 wickets at 37.17 in his 75 IPL appearances.
More notably, he has only bowled his complete allocation of four overs in 27 of those 75 appearances, and teams have often struggled to fully utilise his skillset.
The 26-year-old first broke through in the IPL for Rising Pune Supergiants in 2017, primarily bowling in the PowerPlay, and former India international Sanjay Manjrekar noted that teams have tended not to use him in the same way since.
“He burst on the scene for the first time, just like Ravichandran Ashwin as a T20 bowler, and bowled with the new ball in the first six overs, which I thought was remarkable. People saw this very interesting tall off spinner who kept it simple. And then played for a couple of other franchises, but he was more a bowler who could contribute with the bat,” Manjrekar remembered on Sportstar’s Insight Edge podcast.
Manjrekar pinpointed his appearances for the Indian Test side as a pivotal point in his trajectory, saying, “I think his whole trajectory of his career changed when he played for India as a Test player, and everyone saw the batting side of Washington Sundar in tough conditions in Australia. He would bat down the order and get you 60, 70 runs.
”And then we had a very excited Indian coach called Gautam Gambhir, who wanted him to be everywhere. So I look at Washington Sundar, and at the moment in white ball cricket, I don’t see him. He’s not really there as a pure bowler, nor does he have the pedigree or the performances to play as a pure batter.”
ALSO READ: T20 cricket may not be Shubman Gill’s natural format: Sanjay Manjrekar
Manjrekar suggested that entrusting Washington with a more regular bowling workload could be key to unlocking his talents.
“His exceptional showing at the Test level has got people excited with what he can offer with bat and ball. He’s got seven wickets in a Test match, he can play as a pure spinner, plus bat down the order and bat like a proper batter, which got Gautam Gambhir sometimes to promote him to number three.” he said.
“But I think that’s just getting a little too carried away. He has to be a bowling all-rounder in T20 cricket. I would like to extract that and make him that guy who will bowl the four overs, but four overs of off-spin, it’s a tough one to get away.”
Published on May 02, 2026
