Washington Sundar has gone wicketless in both Tests vs South Africa so far— does he truly justify his selection as India’s lead off-spinner?
During India’s golden run in home Tests, they had two formidable spinners- Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja. The combination of right-arm and left-arm spin was hard to breach for any visiting batter.
But since Ashwin’s retirement, they have struggled to find the perfect replacement for the veteran, especially in Indian conditions. Due to Kuldeep Yadav’s injury during the Bengaluru Test against New Zealand last year, the management selected Washington Sundar for the second Test in Pune.
The Tamil Nadu spinner Washington Sundar enjoyed his return with 7/59 in the first innings, followed by 4/56 in the second. That was the point when the Blue Brigade perhaps thought of crafting the youngster after Ashwin’s potential retirement. But things have not gone as they planned.
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Washington Sundar’s lack of wickets raises serious questions
After the Pune Test, Sundar picked up five wickets in the third game at the Wankhede Stadium against the Kiwis. But since then, Sundar has struggled to impress with the ball, with only 13 Test wickets in 17 innings at an average of 45.76. His strike rate of 85 is below par for someone touted to be India’s premier off-spinner.
Meanwhile, out of those 17 innings, six have come at home, where he bagged only three wickets at an average of nearly 70. His strike rate of 146 is quite embarrassing in this period. In the ongoing second Test against South Africa in Guwahati, Sundar went wicketless in 26 overs and gave away 58 runs.
Senuran Muthusamy batted for 206 balls in the middle for his 109-run knock. It was the off-spinner’s role to create doubt in the southpaw’s mind and pick up his wicket. But Sundar lacked patience and control in his bowling. The pace wasn’t up to the mark for most deliveries on the slow surface; Muthusamy was happy to defend most of them. The India spinner went past the batter’s outside edge a couple of times, but he wasn’t consistent enough to land the ball in the same area.
In the previous Test at the Eden Gardens, the 26-year-old bowled only one solitary over across two innings. That’s another example of how much trust the management has in his bowling skills. Meanwhile, Simon Harmer – the Protea off-spinner – pocketed eight wickets in the same game. None of the India batters had any clue of the turn and bounce he was extracting off the surface.
In the last series at home against West Indies, Sundar picked up only three wickets in four innings. He experienced an average of nearly 50 and a strike rate of 92, which has been a new concern for the selectors.
There is no doubt about Sundar’s batting skills, whether in the middle order or at number three. His fine unbeaten 101-run knock helped India draw the Manchester Test. Even in Kolkata against the Rainbow Nation, Sundar batted at three and collected 29 runs in 82 balls. It was a supreme knock on a surface where only one half-century was recorded across four innings.
But his primary role is to pick up wickets. If he continues to move in this form, it will be high time for the selectors to find different options from the domestic circuit.
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Saransh Jain & Tanush Kotian- options for India’s new off-spinner quest
Saransh Jain can be one of the options for India in the off-spin department. The Madhya Pradesh spinner has collected over 170 first-class wickets at an average of 27.37 and a strike rate of 54.5. Subsequently, he can also contribute with the bat, having notched up 1991 runs in 76 innings at 31.10.
In the ongoing season, Jain has collected 19 wickets in seven innings at 20.42 with the best figures of 6/75 against Punjab. Even with the bat, he has recorded two fifties and one century. Last year, the 32-year-old scalped 21 wickets in 12 innings at 38.23.
Another option for the job could be Tanush Kotian. The Mumbai spinner is under the radar of the selectors. In the first unofficial Test for India A against South Africa A in Bengaluru, Kotian picked up eight wickets. He was also part of the side when they played two A-games down under last year and made a trip to England.
Kotian featured in only two Ranji Trophy 2025/26 clashes for Mumbai and bagged seven wickets. In the last season, he was Mumbai’s fourth highest wicket-taker with 23 wickets in 11 innings, at an average of under 22. Overall, the 27-year-old has 129 FC wickets at 27.31 and an impressive record of 2120 runs at 42.40.
After the ongoing series against South Africa, India’s next red-ball series will be in Sri Lanka in August 2026. Spin will be a key in those conditions. Sundar can go back to the domestic circuit and play a few red-ball games in the second half of the Ranji Trophy 2025/26 in January. If he doesn’t improve his wicket-taking skill, it won’t be long before the selectors take their eyes off him.
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