“I am very happy for him. I have seen him. I think very highly of him. He bowls wide off the crease. He attacks. He is a different type of off-spinner. His job is to take wickets. He has done a very commendable job. I hope he gets a chance. Manav will play. Jadeja and Kuldeep will play, so he might have to sit out too. But I really hope because he has it in him to perform,” Ashwin said on his  YouTube channel.

Ashwin added that he was unclear about Sundar’s role in the Test side, insisting that the team management must decide what is his primary position is in the longest format.

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“Sundar’s performance has been good. But again, in Test cricket, I want to ask Sundar’s role definition. He is a very good batter, I agree. More than handy spinner. But India has to decide and communicate to Sundar what is his first role. Is he a top six batter or is he one of my top 4 bowlers? He is a match-winning bowler. He has to bat in the top six. If I am there, I am going to tell him to bat in the top six. It is important to define his role. If India loses, the question will come whether he is a batter or a bowler. He gets criticised, but I would question how he has been used,” he explained.

India have named four spinners in the Test side, with veteran Ravindra Jadeja returning to the fold alongside Kuldeep Yadav, Manav Suthar and Jain.