The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) on Saturday confirmed that Washington Sundar has indeed been ruled out of the third and final ODI against England, set to be played at Lord's Cricket Ground on Sunday, July 19. The Men's Selection Committee has now named Harsh Dubey as Sundar's replacement. Washington suffered a right hamstring injury during the second ODI at Sophia Gardens in Cardiff and has been ruled out of the remainder of the series.
“He will undergo scans and seek a specialist opinion for further management of his injury,” the BCCI said in an official statement.
In the second ODI against England in Cardiff, Sundar made two runs off five balls. During a break in the innings, the cameras picked up the all-rounder receiving treatment as the physio strapped up his thigh. When he was dismissed, Sundar left the field in visible discomfort.
After the loss in the second ODI, India batting coach Sitanshu Kotak also provided an update on Sundar, saying the all-rounder looked in bad shape. “Washington's injury, which he had when he ran his first run to mid-off. His hamstring, I think, looks like a bad injury, and the next ball he got out,” Kotak told reporters in the post-match press conference.
Sundar had scored an unbeaten half-century in the ODI series opener in Birmingham as India chased down the target comfortably. However, the all-rounder failed to get going in the next match, where England levelled the three-match series.
Kuldeep's exclusion
{{/usCountry}}Sundar had scored an unbeaten half-century in the ODI series opener in Birmingham as India chased down the target comfortably. However, the all-rounder failed to get going in the next match, where England levelled the three-match series.
Kuldeep's exclusion
{{/usCountry}}The current team management has inclined towards playing more and more all-rounders in the playing XI, and this has led to Kuldeep Yadav warming the bench. Recently, former India spinner Ravichandran Ashwin had spoken about Kuldeep's lack of game time for the Men in Blue.
“Come the ODI World Cup in South Africa, you will need Kuldeep Yadav, Axar Patel and Washington Sundar. Both Axar and Washington got fifties and saw us home in the first ODI against England. But I think there will be room for only one of the two players in the future. I would love to see Kuldeep handed better treatment because he is a match-winner,” Ashwin said on his YouTube channel ‘Ash Ki Baat’.
India's updated squad for the third ODI: Shubman Gill (Captain), Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer (Vice-Captain), KL Rahul (WK), Ishan Kishan (WK), Axar Patel, Shivam Dube, Kuldeep Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah, Prasidh Krishna, Arshdeep Singh, Gurnoor Brar, Prince Yadav, Harsh Dubey