Why Washington Sundar is Batting at No. 5 During IND vs SA T20 World Cup Match?

The match between India and South Africa is taking quite a sharp turn, as the Proteas batters have put up a total of 187 in 20 overs. While chasing, the men in blue lost 3 wickets in quick succession in just 6 overs. However, the batting order saw a surprise when Washington Sundar walked out at No. 5.

Sundar, who was trusted over Axar Patel in this match, batted as high as No. 5 in this game. With several top batters yet to come, the Indian team management decided to send Sundar up the order in the IND vs SA T20 World Cup 2026 game.

Why Washington Sundar is Batting at No 5 in IND vs SA T20 World Cup Match?

After the fall of three quick wickets, Team India needed a stable partnership, and to provide that, Washington Sundar was promoted to bat at No. 5 in to complement his skipper, Suryakumar Yadav. Being a useful batter, Sundar was expected to control the regular flow of wickets.

The decision to send Washington Sundar in at No. 5 was clearly tactical. With Keshav Maharaj bowling left-arm spin, India needed a left-handed batter at the crease to disrupt his rhythm after Tilak Varma's dismissal. Beyond that, Suryakumar Yadav and Gautam Gambhir have been using Sundar as a floater, trusting his technique to stabilize the innings during difficult phases, while also some of the best finishers in the world like Hardik Pandya and Rinku Singh for the death overs where they are most effective.

Washington Sundar IND vs SA T20 World Cup performance didn't turn out to be a memorable one. He returned figures of 0-17 in two overs with the ball. With the bat, he was dismissed for just 11 runs. Hence, this experiment didn't work well.

Washington Sundar Stats Batting at No 5

Washington Sundar batting position is usually low in T20 cricket. In T20Is, Sundar has been rarely given the opportunity to bat at No. 5 or higher. The bulk of his 24 career innings have come at No. 6, 7, or even lower, which tells you a lot about how the Indian team management has traditionally viewed his role.

Sundar, one of the best all-rounders in the world, has largely been deployed as a late-innings batter, someone brought in to accelerate in the final overs rather than stabilize the innings during the middle phase. India's team management no longer sees him purely as a bowling option, but as a flexible, thinking cricketer capable of adapting wherever the team needs him most.