Former Indian skipper Sunil Gavaskar praised Washington Sundar after India registered a comprehensive innings and 300-run win against Afghanistan at New Chandigarh on Monday. Gavaskar said Sundar can play multiple roles with both bat and ball for India.

After taking a solitary wicket in the first innings, Sundar returned with impressive figures of 4-36 in 11 overs he bowled in the second essay.

“I think you want somebody like a Washington Sundar in your team because he can bat at any order. You can give him the new ball, and he will bowl with the new ball,” Sunil Gavaskar said on Star Sports.

“If you want him to bowl a tight line, he will do that for you. He is such a team player, and every captain would love to have Washington Sundar in his team,” he added.

On the other hand, Sundar scored an impressive knock of 52 runs off 68 balls in the first innings with the help of five fours and one six to help India strengthen their grip on the match. 

This was the sixth Test fifty for the left-hander as he batted at the top of his game. Sundar added 54 runs with debutant Manav Suthar and then stitched 30 and 24-run partnerships with Mohammed Siraj and Kuldeep Yadav respectively.

“We have all known how good a batter he is. In fact, in 2021, when England were here, he got two 90s, although he didn’t get a hundred. So we all knew that he could bat,” Gavaskar praised Sundar for his batting.

Gavaskar recalled that Sundar scored a fine hundred against England when India was able to draw the Test match.

“Last year, he did that rear-guard action with Ravindra Jadeja in saving the game for India, where he got his first hundred. So everybody knows about his batting, and again over here, on a pitch which was not really very easy to bat on, he got a very good half-century,” Gavaskar observed.

Sundar would look to carry the good form with both bat and ball.