IND vs SA: "Top 5 batters must be specialists..."- Sourav Ganguly warns Gautam Gambhir over his move to bat Washington Sundar at three

Sourav Ganguly hailed Washington Sundar as a good cricketer who bowls and bats well.

Former Indian captain Sourav Ganguly raised doubts over all-rounder Washington Sundar’s position at number three in tests, saying that team need specialists batter at three. His comments came after Sundar batted at three in the recent first test between Indian Cricket Team and South Africa Cricket Team at Eden Gardens, Kolkata.

In the Kolkata test, the Shubman Gill & Co. overlooked Sai Sudharsan in the XI to fit in extra spin-option, going ahead with Sundar at the No.3 batting spot. Sudharsan made his debut during the England series but slammed just one fifty there. He retained his spot for the West Indies tests and looked in good touch, hitting 87.

However, despite that he was dropped as Gautam Gambhir experimented with Sundar at No.3 in the first test against South Africa. The Tamil Nadu all-rounder impressed with his batting performances in the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy 2025, where he hammered his maiden test ton in the crucial clash in Manchester.

Gambhir’s idea of utilising Sundar at three against South Africa in Kolkata paid off to some extent as he looked the best batter for India in the second innings, where he was the highest run-getter. He scored 29 and 31 across both innings but this move wasn’t taken well by former cricketers and fans as they lashed out at Gambhir for preferring all-rounders over specialists batters.

Also, he came under scanner for goofing up with the batting order and not giving the backing to the batters following India’s humiliating defeat in the match.

I’m not too sure whether No. 3 is a spot for him in Test cricket: Sourav Ganguly on Washington Sundar

Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB) President Ganguly lauded Washington Sundar for his heroics in test cricket. But raised doubts as well, saying that top five batters should be specialists. He also believes that Sundar at three cannot be a long term option. In an interview with India Today, he said:

“It’s been a tremendous time for Washington Sundar. I think he’s a good cricketer, he bowls well, he bats well, but I’m not too sure whether No. 3 is a spot for him in Test cricket in the long run, across all conditions,” he said.

“Your top five batters, openers, No. 3, No. 4 and No. 5 must be specialists who can perform in those roles everywhere, and I’m not convinced Washi is India’s No. 3 in England, Australia, South Africa or New Zealand. That’s something Gautam needs to look at,” Ganguly added.

The former Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) president feels that Gambhir should not pick four spinners in home test matches.

“He doesn’t need four spinners in India, especially when Washi bowled only a single over in the entire Test. When the pitch spins and the main spinners can deliver 20-30 overs, you don’t need four of them. So he needs to consider all of this,” the 53-year-old added.

Meanwhile, India had a target of 124 runs in the second innings of the Kolkata test. After India lost both openers Yashasvi Jaiswal (0) and KL Rahul (1) cheaply, Washington kept the winning hopes alive by patiently batting at one end, while other batters kept on losing their wickets cheaply. After he got out, India lost wickets were bowled out for 93 runs, suffering a shocking defeat by 30 runs.

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