Former Indian batter Mohammad Kaif believes Washington Sundar will continue to play against South Africa in the Super 8 match of the ongoing T20 World Cup. Kaif said Sundar will be used against South African opener Quinton de Kock. Sundar has the experience of bowling in the Powerplay overs.
Sundar played his first match of the tournament against the Netherlands but returned with figures of 0-36 in his quota of four overs. India’s vice-captain Axar Patel was not played against the Dutch and Kaif reckons India could continue with the same playing combination.
Mohammad Kaif said on his YouTube Channel, “Why wasn’t Axar Patel played? The reason is that in the next game India will be up against De Kock, Ryan Rickelton, and Miller. So, Washington Sundar was played because he will also play in the next match. Sundar will play that match. I’m telling you this because if Axar is playing and De Kock is at the crease, you will not use him to bowl. If the left-handed batter is there, you won’t bowl him, and his bowling will go to waste. So Sundar played against Netherlands as a tactical option.”
The Natwest Trophy final hero highlighted that Sundar wicket-taking ability is limited and India will need someone to partner Varun Chakravarthy so that run-scoring is restricted on batting friendly Ahmedabad pitch.
“I think Sundar’s wicket-taking ability is limited. He contains runs and bowls fast, but he is not really a wicket-taker. On the Ahmedabad pitch, if you don’t get a partnership with Varun to bowl, a lot of runs can be scored off the pitch. As I said, Bumrah, Arshdeep Singh, and Varun together will bowl 12 overs. Hardik Pandya conceded 40 runs in the last game on that pitch, so his performance can be inconsistent too.”
Kaif cautioned Indian bowlers that they will be facing a potent batting unit against South Africa.
He concluded, “Now, who will bowl the next five or six overs? The South African team has dangerous hitters: Stubs, Miller, De Kock, and Makram is in form. I think this is the most dangerous batting lineup. Even though they may not be strong in the bowling department, their batting is dangerous up to number seven or eight. For the four or five overs I’m talking about, Dube is also working hard and improving, but he is a weak link. That area will be specifically targeted.”
India will take on South Africa in their opening game of the Super 8 stage at the Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad, on Sunday.
