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Washington Sundar ruled out: Bad news has emerged for the Indian cricket team. Star all-rounder Washington Sundar has been ruled out of the upcoming five-match T20I series against New Zealand. Sundar suffered a side strain during the first ODI played in Vadodara last week and has not yet recovered.
Threat to T20 World Cup 2026 participation?
The T20I series between India and New Zealand is scheduled to be played between January 21 and 31. This series is crucial for preparations for the T20 World Cup, which begins on February 7.
The BCCI has described Sundar's injury as "acute discomfort in the left lower rib." While it is not yet clear whether this injury will affect his participation in the World Cup, Indian fans are keeping a close eye on his recovery. India is scheduled to play its first World Cup match against the USA in Mumbai on February 7.
Who will replace Sundar?
For the ODI series, the selectors had included Delhi all-rounder Ayush Badoni as a replacement for Sundar. However, no official replacement has been announced for the T20I series yet.
The good news for the Indian camp is that several key all-rounders are returning to the T20I squad against New Zealand:
- Hardik Pandya
- Axar Patel (Vice-captain)
- Abhishek Sharma
- Shivam Dube
Tilak Varma also ruled out of initial matches
Not only Sundar, but young batsman Tilak Varma will also be unavailable for the first three T20I matches due to groin surgery.
India's T20I Squad against New Zealand
Suryakumar Yadav (Captain), Axar Patel (Vice-Captain), Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson (Wicketkeeper), Ishan Kishan (Wicketkeeper), Tilak Varma (unavailable for the first three matches), Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dube, Rinku Singh, Jasprit Bumrah, Harshit Rana, Arshdeep Singh, Kuldeep Yadav, Varun Chakravarthy, Washington Sundar (out)
