India’s search for a Sundar-like all-rounder is proving difficult. Washington Sundar occupies a rare niche: a reliable off-spin option who can also steady the middle order and bowl tight overs across formats. While Team India will almost certainly look to add another all-rounder to cover Sundar’s absence, the crop of available players each brings different strengths — and none match Sundar’s exact combination of skills.
What makes Sundar hard to replace?
- Three-dimensional utility: a genuine off-spinner who can bat sensibly in the middle order and adapt to Tests, ODIs and T20s.
- Control and economy: able to bowl disciplined spells in pressure situations, especially in the middle overs of limited-overs matches.
- Match temperament: calm under pressure with the technique to contribute meaningful runs lower down the order.
- Fielding and balance: a nimble fielder who helps maintain team balance without needing a specialist replacement.
Shortlist: who’s under consideration?
Here are the leading candidates India might consider — a mix of established names and rising talents who could fill parts of Sundar’s role.
Axar Patel
Why he’s in contention: Axar offers left-arm spin plus genuine batting ability, making him a quality all-format option. His batting adds stability in the lower middle order and he has experience bowling long spells.
How he compares to Sundar: Axar brings a different angle — left-arm spin — which is useful for variety, but he’s not a like-for-like off-spin replacement. He’s a stronger batter in some formats and more proven with the ball in Tests, though the team balance shifts when Axar plays.
Shahbaz Ahmed
Why he’s in contention: Shahbaz is an off-spinning all-rounder who bats in the middle order and has been on the selectors’ radar through IPL and domestic performances.
How he compares to Sundar: Closest in bowling style, Shahbaz can cover Sundar’s off-spin role to an extent. Questions remain about consistency and experience across formats, but he’s a natural candidate for that double role.
Shardul Thakur
Why he’s in contention: Shardul is a seam-bowling all-rounder who has delivered valuable lower-order runs and key wickets. He is a proven white-ball match-winner and offers firepower with the bat.
How he compares to Sundar: Not a spin replacement — Shardul’s value lies in pace and hitting. He changes the team balance, offering more seam and power but less of the spin-batting combo Sundar provided.
Shivam Dube
Why he’s in contention: Dube is a big-hitting bat who bowls medium pace. In T20s and some limited-over contexts, his boundary-hitting and short-ball ability are attractive.
How he compares to Sundar: Very different profile. Dube brings power rather than control or off-spin. He’s more of a specialist finisher who offers occasional overs, not a like-for-like all-format all-rounder.
Venkatesh Iyer
Why he’s in contention: Venkatesh has shown promise as a left-handed batter who can provide some overs of medium pace. He gives balance with his ability to bat up the order and slot into the middle if needed.
How he compares to Sundar: Venkatesh doesn’t replace Sundar’s off-spin; he is better thought of as a batting-first all-round option who boosts the top/middle order and supplies part-time bowling.
Deepak Hooda
Why he’s in contention: Deepak is a versatile batter who has bowled part-time off-spin in domestic cricket and can adapt to different batting positions. He’s a flexible option across formats if the team wants batting depth with occasional spin.
How he compares to Sundar: Deepak can resemble Sundar on the batting front and with part-time spin, but lacks the bowling consistency and the same multi-format bowling credentials Sundar has shown.
What India should prioritise
Replacing Sundar exactly is unlikely. The selectors will need to decide whether they value:
- Like-for-like off-spin and batting balance (Shahbaz Ahmed being the closest), or
- Style change for balance — adding left-arm spin (Axar) or more pace and hitting (Shardul, Venkatesh, Dube), depending on pitch and opposition.
Form, fitness and IPL performances will shape the final choice. In many cases India may prefer a combination — a specialist spinner plus a seam-bowling all-rounder — to replicate the tactical flexibility Sundar offered in one package.
Bottom line: Sundar’s unique toolkit — disciplined off-spin, composure with the bat and multi-format value — is hard to match. The shortlist offers credible options, but the coaching staff’s challenge will be stitching together a new balance that covers all the bases he used to handle.