Sundar Supremacy Supporters Unite!

[sandeep]

Washington Sundar is a talented young batsman who bowls handy off-spin.  Rose to prominence early on as a T20 powerplay spin bowler with clutch temperament and control.  Wrote his illustrious name in the history books by contributing to arguably India's greatest test victory of all time at the Gabba.  He followed it up with a brilliant test century in his very first home test in challenging conditions under pressure. 

 

Tall, elegant left-hander with a preternatural ability to time the ball, his batting has it all - the classic cover drive against top shelf international class pace (and spin), a dependable pull shot, and enough modern day reverse and ramps in his armory.  

 

It is only a matter of time before the Sundar Supremacy reigns over international cricket for India.  This is a thread for believers to check in and hitch a ride on the bandwagon early.  

 

If you are not one of the believers, please stay in your lane and don't spam this thread.  Of course there is no censorship and you are free to bump this thread, or post contrarian takes. But don't spam it.  You will be ashamed and embarrassed a bit further down the line anyway.

 

 

[Gollum]

Count me in, have rated him since the Nidahas days, he was what 17 then, yet the clutchness stood out. Imagine being man of the tournament at that age!!!!

 

Terribly mishandled by TM, selectors, bad luck with injuries. Test team needs a guy like him in the middle order. Just please don't think of him as Ashwin's successor, both are entirely different in terms of roles.

[Majestic]

He can reach Shakib level. Don't expect him to be next Steve Smith or Steve Waugh or Jacques Kallis. You will be disappointed and ashamed as well over the years.

[singhvivek141]

He is very likeable as a player, may not have that charisma which others have. But there is something about him which feels he is better than how he is treated.

 

As you said, his clutchness in Gabba was a treat to watch, as a 20 year old kid, he showd immense confidence & composure against the mighty auzzies which likes of Rahane, Mayank & Shardul couldn't show. Infact he was the one who was counter attacked them and caught them by surprise before eventually falling to Lyon.

 

In the long run, provided he stays fit, I see him turning into a full fledged batsman with his bowling as secondary skill, he is much better batsman than what the stats show and he would be able to transform himself as a dependable batter at no 6/7.

[nevada]

This guy is the man for a crisis! If he is given a clear role and backed for a decent stretch of time, the team will reap the rewards. He has been too in and out of the team to be able to create a meaningful impact. 

[bowl_out]

Likeable no-nonsense player. Want him to succeed in international cricket.

 

What he needs to work on:

1. Although his technique is good, his range is very limited.. Need to have more scoring shots to succeed in LOI

2. He needs to define what his primary role is.. Yuvraj was a batsman who could bowl.. Ashwin is a bowler who can bat.. What is Washington Sundar's primary role? 

[sandeep]

9 minutes ago, bowl_out said:

Likeable no-nonsense player. Want him to succeed in international cricket.

 

What he needs to work on:

1. Although his technique is good, his range is very limited.. Need to have more scoring shots to succeed in LOI

2. He needs to define what his primary role is.. Yuvraj was a batsman who could bowl.. Ashwin is a bowler who can bat.. What is Washington Sundar's primary role? 

Best case from team's perspective is that he delivers as a top order batsman who bowls a bit.   Don't want a Moeen Ali, but more of a Joe Root, but with better bowling.  

[Lord]

Terrific prospect for Tests. 

 

However not there as a LOI bat yet, at best a no. 8. Lacks skills to both hit and pierce fields.

 

Also a very poor fielder. As a LOI bowler he's good but Ashwin still trumps him with his variations.

 

Will miss the WC squad in all likelihood but needs to decide whether he wants to become batting AR or bowling AR. As of now it seems he's seen as Ashwin's replacement which underestimation of his batting (in Tests) and overestimation of his bowling.

[Lord]

23 minutes ago, Majestic said:

He can reach Shakib level. Don't expect him to be next Steve Smith or Steve Waugh or Jacques Kallis. You will be disappointed and ashamed as well over the years.

He'll surpass Shakib in Tests but LOIs he need to do better.

[MediumPacer]

He is the closest we have to yuvraj,and just like yuvraj he is struggling to figure out his slot.

 

Funny how some were comparing dube to uv.

[raki05]

He is not an loi player full stop, he should only focus on test cricket. He played considerable amount of t20 and it clearly shows he cant play with high sr when field is spread out, also his running b/w wkt, rotation of strike and fitness is not as per standard of loi.

[BacktoCricaddict]

Like @Lord said, although he made his first mark in T20s, he tests are his best bet for high success. I have even advocated for him to be given opportunities in the top-order.  Once he is consistently available, he should be in the test mix at all times.  LOIs?  Maybe.

[raki05]

We were not able to chase 255 against bd here it looks like we would not even reach 275. Our bowlers are utter dud.

[Nikhil_cric]

No future in LOI cricket for specialist finger spinners. But I forget India still plays LOI cricket like it's 1996 so good chance of him becoming the new Jadeja.

 

Not sure he has the intelligence and drive of an Ashwin to be a top class Test off spinner.

 

Bleak future I'm afraid 

[vvvslaxman]

He is not a natural stroke player you are looking for in ODI. He has something  about him. He doesn't get flustered. But his roles in LOIs is limited atleast for now as he is purely a timer at this point.  My only hope he has time on his hand. Axar for a very long time was like that. Couldn't clear the boundaries at will.  Test matches are his best bet for now. 

[Adamant]

Rate him highly in Test Cricket, wanted him to bat at 5 for us with Pant at 6.

In t20is, we shouldn't even think about him.

In odis  his batting is safe but isnt a big hitter so wont fit in our plans. Could replace Jadeja in the future but he isnt really a good fielder so would prefer someone like Parag.

[R!TTER]

11 hours ago, MediumPacer said:

He is the closest we have to yuvraj,and just like yuvraj he is struggling to figure out his slot.

Yuvraj was smoking peak Lee to all corners, albeit on a dead track, at 22-23 in Oz tri series! He also had a stellar ODI series in Pak in 2006, was one of the main reasons why we won alongside SRT, MS & Pathan. He has a really really long way to go to be compared to him.

[Vijy]

12 hours ago, Majestic said:

He can reach Shakib level. Don't expect him to be next Steve Smith or Steve Waugh or Jacques Kallis. You will be disappointed and ashamed as well over the years.

if he reaches shakib level, he will become one of the greatest ARs of the era, which is what shakib is

[Vijy]

1 hour ago, Adamant said:

Rate him highly in Test Cricket, wanted him to bat at 5 for us with Pant at 6.

In t20is, we shouldn't even think about him.

In odis  his batting is safe but isnt a big hitter so wont fit in our plans. Could replace Jadeja in the future but he isnt really a good fielder so would prefer someone like Parag.

what if he plays at no. 5 in ODIs, especially once the older players retire? he does not have the power game, but can maintain SR of 90-95 in MO. can be a 6th bowler in ODIs.

 

I agree parag should be tried in ODIs

[Vijy]

12 hours ago, singhvivek141 said:

He is very likeable as a player, may not have that charisma which others have. But there is something about him which feels he is better than how he is treated.

 

As you said, his clutchness in Gabba was a treat to watch, as a 20 year old kid, he showd immense confidence & composure against the mighty auzzies which likes of Rahane, Mayank & Shardul couldn't show. Infact he was the one who was counter attacked them and caught them by surprise before eventually falling to Lyon.

 

In the long run, provided he stays fit, I see him turning into a full fledged batsman with his bowling as secondary skill, he is much better batsman than what the stats show and he would be able to transform himself as a dependable batter at no 6/7.

shardul took 7 wkts in the match and scored a clutch 50. for me, he was the unsung hero of Gabba.

 

this does not take away from sundar's great batting in both innings, and also bowled usefully

Edited September 28, 2023 by Vijy