Support without explanation on paper. Ashwin questions Gautam Gambhir’s ‘misuse’ of Washington Sundar in T20Is Cricket News:

Former India spinner Ravichandran Ashwin asked the way Washington Sundar used in India’s T20I side, saying the all-rounder has not been given a clear role despite continuing to get opportunities.Ashwin, speaking on his Hindi YouTube show Ash Ki Baat, said that Sundar has the support of the team management but is usually not very available with bat and ball.“Washington is backed by this team (management). He seems like an automatic pick in this line-up. They backed him but I feel that even when they play him, there is no specific role for him. There are times when he is on the field, he has one, sometimes, he doesn’t even finish. If you remember, during the T20 World Cup, they (vice-captain management) fell. Axar Patel to play in Washington. That’s got a lot of support in Washington,” Ashwin said.In the first T20I against Ireland, he lost just one, was introduced in the 16th over of the innings, and later scored 9 off 12 balls after coming in at No. 6.The numbers also raise questions about how Sundar is being used. In 61 T20Is, he has bowled just 26 times, scoring at a strike rate below 130, making it difficult to classify him as a finisher.With the ball, he took 51 wickets in 57 innings at an economy rate of over seven runs an over. He has bowled 1,049 legal balls in T20Is, which works out to about 18 deliveries per bowling innings. This means that he often did not complete his full quota of four overs.Since the start of his T20I career, Sundar has been allowed to bowl his full four overs only 25 times in 57 bowling innings. When he completed his quota, his economy rate increased to 6.65 compared to his career economy of 7.05, while his strike rate dropped to less than 20 balls per wicket compared to 22.2 when he bowled only part of his quota.Ashwin also questioned Sundar’s batting role.“Even in batting, they are using him as a finisher and he is not a finisher. He should have a floating role like Axar Patel used by Rohit Sharma-Rahul Dravid duo. It seems that the role of Washington Sundar is wrong. If you want to give Washington a long rope, bring him after the Powerplay. how do you know if he can be reliable at all,” Ashwin said.Sundar made his India debut before turning 18 and has now spent almost a decade around the senior side. However, questions remain about whether he is viewed as a batsman who can play off-spin or as a frontline off-spinner who can contribute with the bat.In his last 12 T20Is, excluding the two washed out matches in Australia, Sundar’s bowling work has been very varied. He lost one in five of his last 10 bowling innings, while in the other match he bowled just 1.2 overs despite taking a career-best figure of 3-for 3 after cleaning up Australia’s tail.The Ireland series may not have had many results, but the debate over Sundar’s role continues as India look to build a settled T20 side.