Why Sundar needs to sharpen his hitting skills

'I think Washi is still learning when it comes to batting, it's becoming a very specialised role now coming in late overs, and there's certain things he wants to work on.'

Washington Sundar is experiencing a rather tough progress in ODI cricket at the moment but India assistant coach Ryan ten Doeschate said the all-rounder has been fine-tuning his game to meet the demands of the 50-over format.

More than his bowling, Washington seemed to be struggling to force the pace while coming to bat in the late overs.

In the series opener in Ranchi, the left-hander made 13 off 18 balls and one off seven balls in the second game in Raipur.

In that context, it was not surprising to see him batting extensively in the nets on Friday under the watchful eyes of head coach Gautam Gambhir and batting coach Sitanshu Kotak.

There was a lot of focus in hitting over the circles against pace and spin alike, as Washington batted against a set of local net bowlers.

Doeschate was pleased with the work ethics of the Tamil Nadu all-rounder.

"I think Washi is still learning when it comes to batting, it's becoming a very specialised role now coming in late overs, and there's certain things he wants to work on," Doeschate said during the pre-match press meet ahead of Saturday's series-deciding third ODI in Visakhapatnam.

However, Washington has also been deprived of regular bowling in the white-ball formats.

He has played just five ODI in 2025 and bowled his full quota of 10 overs in only one match. Doeschate offered a reason for that.

"I think when it comes to a finger spinner you always need to get match-ups for a left-hander, right-hander and essentially Washi is one of the six bowlers," Doeschate said.

"Washi and Jaddu are the three spinners along with Kuldeep. In those conditions particularly, we are not not going to bowl more than 20 overs of spin.”

The Dutchman was certain that the rough ride had not affected Washington's mindset.

"No, it won't affect his confidence, he's had a very good 12 months, even more in the last 16 months. He has played some good cricket in the two games where he hasn't given up."