Washington Sundar’s Omission Sparks Debate After Stellar Test Series
So here’s something cricket fans are buzzing about — Aakash Chopra recently revealed his combined India-England XI after the conclusion of the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy 2025, and one name that’s surprisingly missing from that list is Washington Sundar. Yep, the same Sundar who quietly had one of the most consistent all-round performances in the entire five-match Test series.
Now, Sundar’s omission raised a few eyebrows, especially when you look at the stats. He scored 284 runs in just four matches, averaging a solid 47.33 — and that included some crucial lower-order runs that really helped steady India at tricky moments. On top of that, he picked up 7 wickets with the ball, maintaining a tidy economy rate of just 3.64. You’d think numbers like that would make him a no-brainer for any combined XI, right?
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Well, not quite, according to Chopra. While acknowledging Sundar’s contributions, Chopra opted for Ravindra Jadeja and Ben Stokes as the two all-rounders in his lineup. He mentioned that Jadeja's consistent run-scoring and match experience gave him the edge, even though he hadn’t picked up too many wickets during the series. Chopra explained that Jadeja didn’t get as many opportunities with the ball, and spin in general didn’t play a huge role in this particular series.
Stokes’ inclusion was another key choice. Chopra pointed out that Stokes not only added strength with the bat but also made a real impact with the ball. He even speculated that had Stokes played in the final Test, the series result — which ended in a 2-2 draw — might have gone England’s way.
The rest of Chopra’s XI was filled with strong, performance-based picks. Yashasvi Jaiswal and KL Rahul opened the batting, with Joe Root and Shubman Gill in the heart of the lineup — and Gill, by the way, finished as the top run-scorer of the series with over 750 runs. Rishabh Pant got the nod as wicketkeeper, praised especially for his grit and flair, even playing through injury. Harry Brook filled out the middle order, while the pace attack featured Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, and England’s Josh Tongue.
Still, the fact remains — Washington Sundar’s absence is a talking point. His quiet consistency and ability to deliver with both bat and ball arguably made him one of India’s most dependable players in the series. Yet, sometimes selections are about perception, history, and impact — and Sundar, despite the numbers, just didn’t make the cut this time.
Let’s see if this fuels his fire going into the next series.
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