"Not even half of Ashwin" - Mohammad Kaif’s massive statement on Team India all-rounder ahead of IND vs SA 2025 3rd ODI

Former batter Mohammad Kaif made a massive statement on Team India all-rounder Washington Sundar ahead of the third ODI against South Africa. The Men in Blue will take on the Proteas in the final match of the series on Saturday, December 6.

Mohammad Kaif bluntly stated that Sundar was not even half of former all-rounder Ravichandran Ashwin when it came to skills as a spinner. Sundar batted at number six in the last game but bowled just four overs, returning figures of 0/28.

Kaif highlighted how captains did not trust Sundar enough with the ball despite his primary role being that of a spinner.

"The management can answer what Washington's role is. He is not even half of Ashwin if we talk about skills as a spinner. Even in Tests and ODIs, under different captains, not one but all of them have not given him full overs. When the game is tight, they go to Jadeja and Kuldeep. There is no trust that he can pick wickets at any stage, like how it is with Kuldeep. He will have to work a lot on his bowling," Mohammad Kaif said on his YouTube channel.

Mohammad Kaif called for clarity around Sundar's role in the team. He reflected that Sundar's ability to pick wickets was not enough, and asking him to bat up the order would only put him under further pressure. He urged the management to allow him to focus on one aspect. Kaif feared that Sundar's abilities as a bowler would take a further backseat if he had to focus more on batting.

"First of all, his wicket-taking ability is less, and now you want Sundar to bat and are just putting more pressure on him. It is like he is neither a bowler nor a batter. Make him do one thing and give him a clear role. He can play the role of Axar in batting in the middle. That is fine. But his main role is bowling. Batting is a bonus. But if his bowling gets bad, which is evident as they are not giving overs, he will go further behind in bowling. He will have to work on his skills and variations as a bowler. If he wants to play longer for India, he has to improve his bowling," he added.

In 28 ODIs so far, the all-rounder has bowled just 164 overs, which is 116 overs less than a full quota of 280 overs (considering 10 overs each game). He has bagged 29 wickets at an average of 27.93 and a strike-rate of 33.9.

---

Mohammad Kaif defends Ravindra Jadeja after loss in second ODI

Meanwhile, all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja faced criticism for his performance with the bat in the second ODI. He remained unbeaten on 24 off 27 balls in the final phase of India's innings. Jadeja was criticised for not scoring at a quick pace as the Men in Blue fell short of runs and lost the game.

However, Mohammad Kaif defended Jadeja, stating that he was never a finisher. Kaif reflected that Jadeja had never played a quickfire knock in the format even in the past, and did not carry that reputation.

"Jadeja has never been a big finisher. He has never scored 36 off 12 or something like that ever. Then you can compare that he would score quickly before. He has never had that reputation. So I will not question him there. Even the improvement in his batting has come from hard work. I will judge him for his bowling if I have to. His intent was fine. The issue was with execution, but he has never been a big hitter," Mohammad Kaif said.

Unfortunately, Jadeja was unable to do much with the ball either. He returned figures of 0/41 from seven overs at an economy of 5.9.