3 reasons why Washington Sundar batting at 5 in IND vs SA 2025 1st ODI was the wrong move

Team India all-rounder Washington Sundar featured at No.5 in the first ODI against South Africa at the JSCA International Stadium in Ranchi on Sunday, November 30. The southpaw had a rough outing with the bat, scoring only 13 runs off 19 deliveries at a strike rate of 68.42.

Sundar was promoted in the order in Axar Patel's absence, but struggled to make an impact in the middle overs, before perishing off Ottneil Baartman's bowling to put India in a spot of bother. He smashed one six during his knock, but outside of that, he largely looked unsettled in a new role.

The all-rounder has been asked to don a variety of roles across all formats in recent times, and while he did well as a No.3 in Tests and a finisher in T20Is, he did not look comfortable while batting at No.5 in ODIs.

On that note, let us take a look at the three reasons why Washington Sundar batting at 5 in IND vs SA 2025 1st ODI was the wrong move.

#1 The lack of strike rotation broke India and Kohli's fluency

Team India were in a delicate position when their third wicket fell, as it was the point where South Africa could seriously mount a fightback. With a settled Virat Kohli at one end, all the hosts needed was to find a balance where things could settle down a bit, but also to maintain momentum at the same time.

In a phase where India still needed to keep the scoreboard ticking, and Kohli to maintain his rhythm, he had to be on strike. Sundar, however, struggled to play that particular role and was shackled to one end. The left-handed batter, often known for his flashy cameos in T20Is and stability in Tests, could not quite find the tempo needed for ODIs.

Stuck in a phase where he needed to rotate strike and also find the odd boundary, he was pinned down right from the get-go. Each of the first six balls he faced did not yield a run, before he could finally relieve some pressure with a six. However, that did not solve the issue at hand.

The next 12 deliveries he faced before his inevitable dismissal, seven were dot balls, while only three singles were taken. Given that Kohli was immediately rotating strike expertly, he had to spend a lot of time at the non-striker's end, something which played into South Africa's hands perfectly.

#2 There were no threat by spinners that warranted the move

In an ideal world, Team India would have KL Rahul at No.5, a position where he has excelled, leaving room for the all-rounders and finishers to operate in the lower middle-order. The major obstacle in this ploy is the fact that the lack of a left-handed batter to combat wrist spinners and left-arm spinners.

The lack of a suitable match-up is what brought about the idea of promoting Axar Patel, a left-handed batter, higher in the batting order. So far, the change has worked since the all-rounder was integral against wrist spinners and left-arm spinners in the 2025 Champions Trophy and in Australia.

But, in the first ODI against South Africa, there were no such threats against the right-handed batters. The Proteas, devoid of Keshav Maharaj, had only one spinner in off-spinner Prenelan Subrayen, who found it difficult to contain the right-handed batters.

Moreover, it is not as if Sundar has a brilliant record against pacers in the middle overs that warrants his promotion at No.5. In fact, he has a strike rate of only 59.37 against pace in the middle overs in 10 innings, where his dot ball percentage is 64.84.

In the last two instances where he has been promoted in the batting order in ODIs, he has failed to make an impact. He has scored 16 runs off 23 deliveries across two innings at No.4 at an average of 8.00 and a strike rate of 69.57.

#3 Washington Sundar is not a like-for-like replacement for Axar Patel as a floater

Just because Washington Sundar is a spin bowling all-rounder who bats left-handed does not mean that he can fulfill the role Axar Patel has been executing in recent times. While his recent batting form is commendable, it cannot be translated into a different format altogether, especially if the profile does not fit.

Axar Patel's strike rotation ability is far better than that of Sundar, and so is his running between the wickets, and the ability to find gaps. The experienced all-rounder has also been playing as a floater in white-ball cricket for quite a while, whether it be for Team India or for the Delhi Capitals, whereas Sundar is still developing as a white-ball batter.