What is Washington Sundars role in Indias ODI setup? Assistant coach provides key insights

New Delhi: India's all-rounder Washington Sundar’s spot in India’s ODI team has become one of the most crucial talking points in the ongoing three-match series against South Africa. Sundar has struggled to perform with the bat and ball in the series, yet the team management insisted that he remains in their plans.

Assistant coach Ryan ten Doeschate provided insights about where the all-rounder fits and how India see a long-term potential in him. He has received heavy criticism for his batting in the recent matches.

In the first ODI, he managed to score just 13 runs off 18 balls at the back end of the innings, and amassed only 1 run in 7 balls in Raipur. He also failed to take wickets in both ODI matches.

According to a PTI report, Sundar focused on power-hitting during the nets in Visakhapatnam under the watch of head coach Gautam Gambhir and batting coach Sitanshu Kotak. Assistant coach Ryan Ten Doeschate said Sundar is still learning when it comes to batting.

"Coming in during the late overs is a very specific role, and he knows what he wants to improve," Ten Doeschate said in the press conference. He also talked about his bowling and said that as a finger spinner, Sundar needs right match-ups against left-handers or right-handers.

"Washi is one of our six bowlers, and with Jadeja and Kuldeep also in the side, there are conditions where we will not bowl more than 20 overs of spin. Despite the lighter workload, the assistant coach believes that Sundar has handled his challenges well.

"He has had a very good 12 to 16 months, and he has not given up in the last two games," he added.

India will take on South Africa in the last ODI of the three-match series at the ACA-VDCA Cricket Stadium in Visakhapatnam on Saturday, December 6.