Sundar bowled just one over and managed to score only 9 runs in the first T20I against Ireland.
India’s two-match T20I tour of Ireland started with a shock 34-run defeat for the Men in Blue at Civil Service Cricket Club, Belfast on Friday (June 26).
Chasing 183 to win, the visiting batting line-up collapsed completely despite a fiery half-century by opener Abhishek Sharma, who scored 50 runs off just 20 balls. The remainder of the batting order crumbled under pressure, leaving the reigning world T20 champions all out for 148 in 18.5 overs.
This result has put Washington Sundar under severe scrutiny, and questions are being raised on the role of the all-rounder in the shortest format.
Sundar bowled just one over in the series opener and conceded 19 runs. To make matter worse, he managed to score only 9 runs off 12 balls in the chase of 183.
After the game, former cricketer-turned-commentator Aakash Chopra criticised the Indian team management's inconsistent and poorly defined tactical utilization of Sundar.
"What are we doing with Washi? We are playing him, but are not playing him. Giving a chance doesn't mean just playing. Giving a chance means you are given proper overs, made to bat at a proper number, given a slightly bigger role, and the role should be clearly assigned. A player gets lost many times if the role is not clearly demarcated," Chopra said in a video shared on his YouTube channel.
"You are surprised to see that Washington Sundar has already played 61 matches and has batted only 26 times. He has scored 274 runs in total, has an average close to 16, and a strike rate close to 130. If he has gotten to bat 26 times in 61 matches, we say he can bat, but he doesn't get a chance to do it, and in those 26 games, if you score slightly more than 250 runs, what exactly is the contribution?" he added.
Chopra highlighted that Sundar's dramatic rise as a potent T20 batter during the IPL 2026 season was directly linked to the specific role handed to him by the Gujarat Titans. The franchise consistently deployed the left-hander at the No. 4 and No. 5 positions, allowing him to build impactful innings rather than acting merely as a lower-order finisher.
"His best as a batter has come for the Gujarat Titans. He bats at No. 4 or No. 5 there, and suddenly you see the rise of Washington Sundar as a T20 player, but that has happened because of the Gujarat Titans, as they gave him that number. That number is not available for India," the former India opener stated.
"Where we make him bat, from No. 6 to No. 9, that's the role of a finisher. He is not a big striker like that. He is not a power hitter. He tries his best, but that is not his role. If you want his best, you will have to bat him up the order, and that place is not available at all," he remarked.
In the same video, Aakash Chopra pointed out Washington Sundar's underutilization with the ball in T20Is.
"What about the bowling? He has taken 51 wickets in 61 matches, which is not bad, and the economy is also nearly seven, which is also great. The average is also decent, but he bowls an average of less than three overs per match. You don't bowl him at all," Chopra observed.
"His first over was the 16th over of this match, and he was hit for 19 runs in that. 46 runs went in your two overs. Prasidh Krishna conceded 27 runs, and he conceded 19 runs. The game was different," he concluded.