Sanjay Manjrekar cautions against premature comparisons between Sundar and Ashwin
Former Indian cricketer Sanjay Manjrekar has warned against hailing Washington Sundar as Ravichandran Ashwin's successor too soon. Speaking on ESPNcricinfo, Manjrekar noted Sundar's remarkable return to the Indian Test team but stressed on seeing him perform on other surfaces. This comes after Sundar's brilliant performance in his comeback match after three and a half years. He ran through NZ's batting order in the ongoing second Test against New Zealand.
Sundar's remarkable return to Test cricket
Sundar made a sensational return to the Indian Test team, registering his best figures in first-class cricket (7/59). His accuracy and subtle spin troubled New Zealand batters, who crumbled at just 259 runs from 190/3. Manjrekar lauded Sundar's quick and accurate bowling style, saying that "on a pitch that is abrasive, all you need is accurate, fast spinners."
Manjrekar defends Ashwin's performance
Despite Ashwin's underwhelming performance in the first Test match of the series against NZ, Manjrekar defended his relevance. He said he didn't see Ashwin ending his career soon, especially on Indian conditions. "To be very honest in that series against Bangladesh and the one before that and even in the first test, although the returns weren't great, I just don't see a bowler whose end is near or you start sort of looking out for a replacement yet," Manjrekar said.
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Sundar now has the joint third-best bowling figures for India against New Zealand in Tests. He shares this record with Ashwin, who took 7/59 against the Kiwis in 2017 in Indore. S Venkatraghavan (8/72 in 1965) and EAS Prasanna (8/76 in 1975) are ahead.
