"He could be Indian cricket's rockstar" - Aakash Chopra on Washington Sundar
Aakash Chopra reckons Washington Sundar could be Indian cricket's future superstar if he remains fit and faith is shown in his abilities.
Sundar scored 88 runs at an excellent strike rate of 110.00 and was dismissed just once in the recently concluded ODI series against New Zealand. The spin-bowling all-rounder went wicketless but had an impressive economy of 4.46 in the 13 overs he bowled.
In a video shared on his YouTube channel, Chopra delved into some of the takeaways for India from the New Zealand series. He heaped praise on Sundar, saying:
"Make a place for Washington Sundar. If you invest in him properly and he doesn't get injured, he comes with a fragile sticker, going ahead he could be Indian cricket's rockstar. If you see cricketing-wise, just his skill level, the potential the guy has, he has everything that should be there in a superstar."
The former Indian batter highlighted that the Men in Blue have been looking at the likes of Axar Patel and Ravichandran Ashwin to perform the spin-bowling all-rounder's role in Ravindra Jadeja's absence, elaborating:
"The number at which you are searching for an all-rounder, you stop at just one guy, who is Ravindra Jadeja. Then you extend your thinking a little bit and feel that you can keep Axar Patel. Then you think whether Ashwin can take that spot."
Jadeja missed the T20 World Cup in Australia due to a knee injury. Rohit Sharma and Co. opted to play Axar and Ashwin ahead of Yuzvendra Chahal as the spinners in the playing XI, as they wanted players who could wield the willow effectively at No. 7 and No. 8.
"Washington Sundar is a proper all-rounder" - Aakash Chopra
Chopra feels Sundar is a full-fledged all-rounder, explaining:
"I believe Washington Sundar is a proper all-rounder, he is not an illusionary all-rounder. He showed in this entire series that if you give him the opportunities, he can bowl as well, he will give 10 overs if the conditions are even slightly favorable. In T20 cricket also he bowls for you with the new ball."
The reputed commentator added that the Tamil Nadu all-rounder plays like a top-order batter, observing:
"He is a quality player. In batting, the way he plays pace or spin, whether you bowl fast or swing the ball, when he is batting he doesn't look like a No. 7 or No. 8 batter. He looks like a guy who plays in the top three or four."
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Chopra picked fielding as an area of improvement for Sundar and concluded by urging the selectors to keep the youngster in the team.