Sundar was left out of the playing XI despite doing well in the Perth Test win.
India’s fielding coach Ryan ten Doeschate explained the rationale behind selecting veteran spinner Ravichandran Ashwin over Washington Sundar for the day-night Test against Australia at the Adelaide Oval.
Ten Doeschate emphasized that the conditions and Ashwin’s proven adaptability to pink-ball Tests tipped the scales in favor of the experienced off-spinner.
The Dutchman acknowledged Sundar's consistent performance since joining the team during the New Zealand series and the Perth Test, and added that decision to prioritize batting depth influenced the selection for the Adelaide Test.
"Yeah, Washy hasn't put a foot wrong since he's come into the fold, halfway through that New Zealand series... I guess the thinking going into the last Test, we wanted to strengthen the batting," Ryan ten Doeschate said at the post-day press conference.
"And given what we saw of Nitish in the first Test, we kind of thought we'd go with what we perceived to be the guys bowling the best spin at the moment. And we feel Ash is more likely to get wickets in these conditions."
"When you get the confidence of Nitish batting at 7, it doesn't really matter with Ash batting at 8. And that was the thinking. Not much to choose between them. And we just thought that Ash would be slightly more effective on this wicket," he added.
Australia bundled out India for a paltry 180 and finished the first day strongly, reaching 86/1. This marked a significant turnaround after their embarrassing 295-run defeat in the series opener at Perth.
Despite the hosts being in a dominant position, Ryan ten Doeschate remained optimistic about India's chances, highlighting the visiting team's fighting spirit and ability to stage comebacks.
"I know that the scores look like there is a big gap between the two teams but we still feel we are in the game and with a few tweaks tomorrow (Saturday), we can get back in the game."
Ten Doeschate emphasized the team's inherent resilience and desire to perform well. "This team doesn't need the coaches to go into the dressing room and say we need to fight. The guys understand that implicitly and it's obviously a very proud team who wants to come here and do well.
"We feel slightly behind the game now but there certainly won't be any letting up and certainly won't be any surrendering. There certainly is a little bit of swing and a little bit of seam still there. So we're pretty confident we can still turn it around."
Addressing the question of limited pink-ball experience, Ryan ten Doeschate acknowledged the format's unique challenges.
"I just think it's the nature of it. If you're going to bring the pink ball into it, it's obviously great for the crowds. It's a little bit different for the players and we try to use the week as best we can to help them to adapt to the small differences.
"I don't think there are huge differences and I certainly don't think there's anything to read into about how the guys performed today.
For India, Nitish Kumar Reddy launched a counter-attack on the Australian bowlers amid the batting collapse. The all-rounder smashed 42 off 54 balls with three boundaries and as many sixes.
Lauding Reddy’s contributions with the bat, the assistant coach said, "We are so chuffed with him. From the prep week in Perth, where he looked like he still needed to figure things out, the way he worked in Perth and the game plans he implemented in Perth, to get crucial runs there, I think to get us to 150 in that first game was amazing.
"Just the way he's gone about his work here. It's obviously the first pink ball game he's playing in. There's still a little bit of work to do. He's very raw. But for a young kid, a 21-year-old, to come out like that and play three innings of the quality he has, it's super exciting.
"There's obviously a chat about Washy not playing. But he's done everything a young player could do in a very short space of time. And we think he's got a very high ceiling."