Washington Sundar has been ruled out of the ongoing India vs New Zealand ODI series after suffering a rib injury during the 1st ODI clash in Vadodara, as per a PTI report.
"Washington has been ruled out due to onset of discomfort in his left lower rib area," a BCCI official told the news agency.
Indian skipper Shubman Gill was also asked about Washington Sundar's injury during the post-match presentation, where he said, “Washington Sundar has a side strain and will go for a scan after the match.”
Notably, the BCCI is yet to officially confirm that Sundar will not play any further part in the series and, as a result, no replacement has been announced so far.
Sundar had bowled five overs during the New Zealand innings where he conceded 27 runs, but during the middle of the innings, he was seen walking to the dressing room and did not take the field thereafter. The all-rounder also batted out of position during the Indian innings, where Harshit Rana came in to bat before him.
KL Rahul on Washington Sundar's injury:
Sundar looked in visible discomfort when his services were eventually required after Rana's wicket. His batting partner KL Rahul later said that he wasn’t aware that Sundar had trouble running and didn’t know the extent of his discomfort.
“I didn’t know he couldn’t run. I knew he had some discomfort in the first innings, but wasn’t aware of the extent. He was striking the ball really well,” Rahul said during the post-match presentation.
“When he came in, we were already scoring at about a run-a-ball, so there was no need to take risks. There wasn’t much pressure on him. He rotated the strike and did his job,” he added.
The Indian team has been battling a barrage of injuries in the last few days, with wicketkeeper-batter Rishabh Pant picking up an injury during a practice session ahead of the match. The southpaw is currently undergoing rehabilitation at the BCCI Centre of Excellence in Bengaluru, and Dhruv Jurel has been named as his replacement.
Meanwhile, Tilak Varma picked up an injury during the Vijay Hazare Trophy and was diagnosed with testicular torsion. He underwent surgery and has been ruled out of India’s side for the first three T20Is against New Zealand. The injury has also put question marks over the batter’s participation in the upcoming T20 World Cup, which starts next month.