'Washington Sundar's selection a blunder on SCG pitch': Sanjay Manjrekar rips Gautam Gambhir's approach in Playing XI

Manjrekar didn't hold back and said including Sundar, who scored just one fifty in 6 innings this series, in the playing XI on the SCG wicket was a blunder.

Sanjay Manjrekar has slammed the selection of Washington Sundar for a place in the Playing XI for the Sydney Test and called it a blunder by the team management. Sundar was played in the series decider ahead of the likes of Dhruv Jurel and Sarfaraz Khan. The Indian management chose to go ahead with two spin all-rounders on a track where the pitch assisted the fast bowlers. The move backfired as Washington bowled just one over in the match that two when the game's fate was almost decided. He also failed to make an impact with the bat and scored just 14 and 12.

India's Washington Sundar is clean bowled by Australia's Pat Cummins on day three of the fifth Test match between Australia and India at the Sydney Cricket Ground.(AFP)

Manjrekar didn't hold back and said including Sundar, who scored just one half-century in 6 innings this series, in the playing XI on the SCG wicket was a blunder.

"It's crazy when you think of an important place in that Indian Test XI in a marquee series. Barring that fifty, Washington Sundar hasn't contributed with the bat much. I think he's a highly talented bowler. But, he has a place when the pitch is turning overseas. And with Jadeja already there, Nitish Kumar Reddy as well, plus Washington Sundar as well. I thought his selection was a blunder on a pitch like this," Sanjay Manjrekar told ESPNCricinfo.

India had Rohit Sharma, Dhruv Jurel, Sarfaraz Khan, Abhimanyu Easwaran and Harshit Rana on the bench, but Gautam Gambhir and team management went ahead with Sundar to add depth to both their bowling and batting.

‘India went the England way, when England was not winning’

Manjrekar asserted that England chose to go England's way by picking players with dual skills, which didn't work for the English tea as well. It was the first time in the last decade that India lost the BGT title as it emerged victorious during the 2018-19 and 2020-21 tours Down Under, where it chose to go with specialists in the XI.

"The last two tours to Australia, India didn't have a single player who was played because of his second skill. They always focused on his main skill and that was good enough to get him into the side. The other skill was a bonus. Here, I thought India went the England way, when England was not winning," he further added.