Former Indian batter Subramaniam Badrinath has stated that the Tamil Nadu all-rounder Washington Sundar should play only Test cricket and a limited number of ODIs, but stay away from T20Is.
Speaking on his YouTube channel, Badrinath has reckoned that Sundar’s fitness and body aren’t able to compensate for all three formats of the game, adding that he is similar to the ace pacer Jasprit Bumrah, who needs to be properly managed and monitored.
“Clarity brings confidence. The more there is clarity, the more there will be confidence. Let Sundar play only Test cricket. Maybe he can play ODI a bit if they want. But if he plays T20 also, he will keep getting injured. Age is not an issue. But his fitness and body are not able to compensate for everything. Same with Bumrah, probably better management and monitoring could have been done,” Badrinath said in a video on his YouTube channel.
Furthermore, Badrinath has requested the Indian Test cricketers to take some time out from limited-overs cricket and take part in domestic red-ball tournaments to improve their ability to tackle spinners.
Notably, the Indian Test team suffered whitewashes to South Africa and New Zealand at home recently. Addressing the concern, the former CSK batter has asserted that the Indian batters should play a lot of first-class cricket to counter spin.
“It is directly related to playing first-class cricket. I always say this. The likes of Rahul Dravid, Sachin Tendulkar, VVS Laxman, Virender Sehwag, even Gautam Gambhir, all of these guys played Duleep Trophy, Irani Trophy, and for their states before coming to play for India. First-class cricket is a testing ground. I know a lot of players who would come and play first-class cricket to counter spin. Even two hours or three hours, it’s not about the runs; it’s about the confidence. Indian cricketers now do not play first-class at all, and it shows a clear decline,” he said.
“I know they are playing a lot of cricket and don’t have enough energy for first-class cricket, but you need to make time. You have nine Tests before the WTC final. It’s okay if you take a break from some T20 series, come and play first-class cricket or the Duleep Trophy. All players want to play all formats; that time is gone. You need to get specialisation and work on specific skills,” Badrinath concluded.
