"Not the fourth bowler that they’re looking for” - Former India cricketer's big take on India's selection for BGT 2024-25 4th Test

Former India cricketer Sunil Gavaskar has questioned the team selection for the Boxing Day Test of the Border-Gavaskar series 2024-25 in Melbourne. The Men in Blue dropped Shubman Gill from the playing XI and included Washington Sundar as the second spinner while retaining Nitish Kumar Reddy.

Amid the reports of Rohit Sharma promoting himself to the top of the order and KL Rahul batting at No. 3, Gill was arguably left in the cold. The right-handed batter was not entrusted with a role in the middle order as the team opted to stick with Reddy and have six bowling options.

While the bowling attack will be largely spearheaded by the existing quartet of Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, Akash Deep, and Ravindra Jadeja, there are doubts as to what the pair of Sundar and Reddy can offer with the ball.

Sunil Gavaskar opined that Sundar should have come in for Nitish Kumar Reddy instead of Shubman Gill.

“No problem with Washington Sundar, because he will bowl a lot – but if Washington Sundar had to come in in place of anybody, I thought it should have been Nitish Kumar Reddy. If you’re batting at number eight and bowling about 10 overs, you’re not the fourth bowler that they’re looking for," Gavaskar said during commentary on Channel 7 (via The Roar).

Team India are in desperate need of answers after mediocre performances across the last two Tests in the series that stands at 1-1.

Washington Sundar and Nitish Kumar Reddy have collectively picked up five wickets for India in BGT 2024-25

India have largely been reliant on Jasprit Bumrah for breakthroughs in the Border-Gavaskar series 2024-25 so far. The support bowlers have put in big shifts too in terms of workload, but not much has come from the all-rounders in terms of bowling.

Washington Sundar played the series opener in Perth, picking up two wickets in the second innings, and cleaning up the tail to wrap up the win. Nitish Kumar Reddy has looked good whenever he has had a chance to bowl but has not been trusted with a long spell.

The all-rounder has picked up three wickets in the series so far, dismissing Marnus Labuschagne twice in the process. As of writing, Australia are placed at 112-1 after 26.3 overs, with Usman Khawaja and Marnus Labuschagne out in the middle after the Lunch break on Day 1 (Thursday, December 26).