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Former Indian cricketer Sanjay Manjrekar has raised serious questions over Washington Sundar’s place in the India national cricket team after another disappointing performance in Belfast. Manjrekar has also indirectly taken a cruel dig at head coach Gautam Gambhir.
Manjrekar did not take anyone’s name directly, but many believe his comments were targeted at Gambhir. Cricket pundits questioned why Sundar continues to get opportunities in all three formats, when he has not produced consistent all-round performances for India.
India’s national cricket team collapsed in the first T20I as Ireland defended 182 runs and stunned the visitors by 34 runs. This was Ireland’s first win over the T20 World Champions and with the win, the hosts took a 1-0 lead in the two-match T20I series against India.
Washington Sundar’s poor performance led to his exit from India.
Washington Sundar had a difficult outing. He was handed the ball in the 16th over. By the time Sundar came into the attack, George Dockrell and Gareth Delany were already ready to bat, and the off-spinner conceded 19 runs off just 6 balls and one no-ball.
Apart from his expensive spells, Sundar also failed with the bat. Coming in at number eight during the run chase, the all-rounder scored only 9 runs off 12 balls. He tried to play aggressive shots against debutant Matt Hollard, but played the shot at the wrong time and was caught in the deep.
Sundar even dropped the catch of Ireland captain Lorcan Tucker when he was batting on 28. Tucker took full advantage of that opportunity and scored a match-winning half-century. After the defeat, the Indian team made two changes for the second and final T20 match.
Sundar was dropped from the playing eleven and Suryansh Shedge was given the chance to make his debut for India. Fast bowler Prasidh Krishna was also left out, with Prince Yadav making his international debut. Earlier, S Sreesanth recalled the heated clash with Gautam Gambhir.
Sanjay Manjrekar indirectly took a dig at Gautam Gambhir for repeatedly giving chances to Washington Sundar.
Following the changes, Sanjay Manjrekar questioned Washington Sundar’s continued selection in all formats. The former Indian batsman said that even without making any strong record at the international level, Sundar is getting opportunities in every format.
He also indirectly mentioned that ever since Gambhir took over as head coach, Sundar has been getting regular chances in all formats not because of merit but due to favoritism.
Speaking on Sony Sports Network, Sanjay Manjrekar said, “Washington Sundar has been playing multiple formats without work; this has happened ever since someone took over as coach: Manjrekar ???.”
Washington Sundar has been playing multiple formats without any effort ever since someone took over as coach: Manjrekar
– Sara Varis (@svaris16) June 28, 2026
Sanjay Manjrekar sent bold World Cup 2027 message on Rohit Sharma
Earlier, Sanjay Manjrekar had urged that the Indian selectors should think about the team rather than Rohit Sharma before finalizing their selection options for the upcoming ICC World Cup 2027. Recently, Rohit scored 143 runs at an average of 47.67 in three ODIs against Afghanistan.
The commentator said, “I mean, it will be controversial. But I think I shouldn’t care about it; I haven’t cared about it all these years. We are in the middle of 2026 and the World Cup is at the end of 2027. I think India has options. But what happens here is that when we make selections, we are thinking about Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma. We should be thinking about what is best for Indian cricket.”
