Dinesh Karthik

Dinesh Karthik went into detail regarding Ravichandran Ashwin’s likely replacement in Team India.

Ravichandran Ashwin has long been India’s go-to off-spinner, delivering outstanding performances, particularly in the longest format. Ashwin is India’s second-highest wicket-taker in Test cricket, having becoming only the second Indian to collect 500 wickets in the format earlier this year, joining Anil Kumble on the select list.

With the veteran off-spinner reaching his 38th birthday, Indian team management recognizes that they must actively seek Ashwin’s replacement to ensure a smooth transition in the spin department.

Dinesh Karthik, a former India wicketkeeper-batsman, believes that Washington Sundar should be the first in line to succeed Ashwin when the time comes. Recognizing Ashwin’s age and the eventual need for a replacement, Karthik emphasized that Sundar possesses the talents and attitude to take on the prominent role as India’s next great offspinner.

“India are definitely looking for a next-gen off-spinner, as in last India ‘A’ series against England Lions, they tried three off-spinners in three matches: Pulkit Narang, Washington Sundar and Saransh Jain,” said Karthik to Cricbuzz.

“Sundar is the front-runner behind Ashwin right now. He’s done well in whatever limited opportunities he’s got and I feel he will get his due first before going to anybody else,” the former Tamil Nadu captain asserted.

Sundar has played in all three formats for Team India, and most recently appeared during the white-ball series against Sri Lanka. Only 24, Sundar has already made 49 T20I appearances, and has further played in 22 ODIs. His last Test match, however, came over three years ago when India hosted England for a five-match series.

Sundar in Tests so far

With the presence of Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja and the emergence of Axar Patel and Kuldeep Yadav, Sundar missed out on regular spots in Team India’s squads in the longest format. Furthermore, Ashwin and Axar’s impressive credentials with the bat meant Sundar couldn’t force an entry solely on his all-round skills, too.

Sundar did, however, play an important role in India’s final Test visit of Australia. With the team dealing with injuries and personnel shortages, Sundar stepped up and delivered an impressive all-round performance on his Test debut in Brisbane. He took four wickets (three in the first innings) and struck a critical 62 in the first innings to assist India reduce the run deficit, resulting in a memorable three-wicket win and a 2-1 series lead.