Former India star warns No. 3 role could hurt Washington Sundar’s bowling development

Former India star Dinesh Karthik feels Washington Sundar’s promotion to No. 3 could impact his bowling in the long term after the conclusion of the Kolkata Test against South Africa. Sundar was pushed up the batting order to replace his Tamil Nadu teammate Sai Sudharsan and delivered solid performances in both innings, scoring 29 in the first and a gritty 31 in the second.

However, Sundar bowled only a single over in the entire match, which came in the first innings. With 35 wickets in 16 Tests, Karthik believes the move clearly signals that the team management wants Sundar to prioritize his batting. In a recent interaction, the former India wicketkeeper explained that it’s tough to excel equally in both skills simultaneously.

“Where are they positioning Washington Sundar as a Test player? Is he a bowler who can bat? When you send him at No. 3, you’re basically telling him to focus more on his batting. And if he’s spending long hours working on his batting, it naturally cuts into his bowling practice—it’s physically impossible to give full attention to both,” Karthik said. “The message is clear: they want big runs from him. This could affect his bowling going forward. It’s a tricky situation.”

Shaun Pollock, meanwhile, believes Sundar simply needs to fine-tune his batting plans and deserves an extended run at the top of the order. Pollock added that he always felt Sundar was underutilised.

“Application is the key. He will figure out how to pace his innings at No. 3—when to be aggressive or when to hold back. He deserves a consistent run, maybe four or five more Tests, to see how he develops. If it doesn’t work, then they can rethink,” Pollock said. “I’ve always felt they could have used him more. His application was good, and he’ll improve as he gets more opportunities.”