Team India allrounder Washington Sundar has been ruled out of the upcoming five-match T20I series against New Zealand as he is still recovering from a rib injury he suffered during the ODI series opener in Vadodara.
The T20I series that runs between January 21-31 is part of India’s preparation for the T20 World Cup, which starts on February 7. There is no confirmation yet on whether the injury, which the BCCI described as “acute onset discomfort in his left lower rib”, could impact his participation in the T20 World Cup.
India play their first match on the opening day on February 7 against USA in Mumbai. The selectors picked Delhi batting allrounder Ayush Badoni as Washington’s replacement for the ODI series but is yet to name Sundar’s replacement for the T20Is.
Despite Sundar’s absence from the T20I series, India will have a number of quality all-round options in their ranks for the series. The list includes Hardik Pandya, Axar Patel (who is also the vice-captain for the T20 World Cup and the NZ T20Is), Abhishek Sharma and Shivam Dube.
Besides Washington, Tilak Varma is also unavailable for the first three T20Is after undergoing surgery for a groin injury.
India’s squad for NZ T20Is: Suryakumar Yadav (capt), Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson (wk), Tilak Varma (unavailable for first three games), Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dube, Axar Patel (vice-capt), Rinku Singh, Jasprit Bumrah, Harshit Rana, Arshdeep Singh, Kuldeep Yadav, Varun Chakaravarthy, Washington Sundar, Ishan Kishan (wk)