Overview
- Assistant coach Ryan ten Doeschate said Sundar is being used primarily as a batting all-rounder in the South Africa ODIs, noting conditions will cap spin to roughly 20 overs.
- Across the first two games Sundar batted at No.5 and No.6 for scores of 13 and 1 and bowled a combined seven wicketless overs.
- Ravichandran Ashwin urged Gautam Gambhir to give Sundar full bowling responsibility and clear role definition, and he questioned leaving out Nitish Kumar Reddy as a finishing option.
- The discussion reflects India’s search for reliable late-overs hitting without Hardik Pandya, with Rishabh Pant also mentioned by pundits as a possible alternative.
- Ten Doeschate said Sundar has focused on death-overs power-hitting in nets under Gambhir and Sitanshu Kotak, as the series stands 1-1 ahead of the December 6 decider in Visakhapatnam.