
Ravichandran Ashwin has made a surprising suggestion ahead of the fourth Test between India and England at Old Trafford, Manchester. The senior spinner believes that if the team trusts Washington Sundar’s batting, they should promote him to No.3 in place of Karun Nair.
India are trailing 2-1 in the five-match series, and changes in the playing XI are expected due to injury concerns. Nitish Kumar Reddy has already been ruled out of the series, while Akash Deep’s availability remains doubtful due to a groin injury.
Arshdeep Singh has also been ruled out of the fourth Test. Akash Deep, who impressed during the Edgbaston Test, underwent a fitness test ahead of the match. If he fails to recover in time, Anshul Kamboj could be handed a debut.
Ashwin proposed a bold reshuffle in the batting order and spoke in favour of fielding both Washington Sundar and Kuldeep Yadav.
“A lot of people have said that Kuldeep has to play. If you have a lot of faith in Washington Sundar’s batting, then send him to number 3 and let Kuldeep play. You have an option. Do you want to bring in Sai Sudarshan or Washington Sundar instead of Karun Nair? I will think like this… Play a specialist batter. Go to a bowler and back your spinner,” Ashwin said on his YouTube channel.
The absence of Reddy, who provided balance with both bat and ball, leaves a noticeable gap. Shardul Thakur, who played the opening Test, is in contention to return, but he doesn’toffer the same batting consistency and will be expected to contribute more with the ball if selected.
Sundar, however, has a solid case. He has batted higher in domestic cricket and averages 38 in 11 Tests.
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