Why Washington Sundar is Batting Ahead of Shivam Dube in IRE vs IND 1st T20I?

The T20 World Champions Team India were rocked by the Ireland during the first T20I of the two-match series at Belfast. The Men in Blue, who have some of the best T20 batsmen, struggled with the bat during the second innings of the match.

During the match, the Indian team management made a surprising change in their batting order when they promoted Washington Sundar to bat ahead of Shivam Dube. Sundar, who usually bats at No. 7 or 8, was sent in to bat at No. 6, a move that caught everyone by surprise.

Why Washington Sundar Batting Ahead of Shivam Dube?

No official reason was revealed for the promotion of Washington Sundar batting position in the IRE vs IND 1st T20I. It seems that the team is trying new combinations as they have usually done in the past as well.

India head coach Gautam Gambhir has always insisted that the batting position is not fixed for any batter other than the openers. It might be the reason why management tried to promote Washington Sundar before Shivam Dube.

Sundar didn't have much to do with the ball as he bowled just a solitary over and conceded 19 runs in the 16th over. On the other hand, Shivam Dube bowled three economical overs and returned figures with 1-18.

The decision to bring Sundar to the bowling attack was criticised by the cricket pundits like Sanjay Manjrekar, who felt that there was no need to bring Sundar at that point. This over turned the momentum in Ireland's favor.

Washington Sundar's Batting Promotion Fails

Despite batting up the order, Sundar was unable to trouble the scorers and was dismissed for just 9 off 12 balls. The left-handed batter struggled to get going and perished while trying to play an aggressive shot to the Player of the Match, Matt Hollard.

Shivam Dube, who came in to bat next, played well for his 25 off 14 balls. Dube, who is one of the most dangerous batsmen in the world, looked in good form and gave India a real shot at the target. However, Jai Moondra picked up his wicket at a crucial time to take Ireland ahead in the game. In the end, Ireland stunned India with a historic 34-run win.