Mumbai: Indian selectors have called for reinforcements, picking up Ravi Bishnoi in place of Washington Sundar and recalling Shreyas Iyer to replace Tilak Varma. The Iyer-Varma switch is for the first three of the five-match T20I series against New Zealand starting in Nagpur on Jan 21.
“By no means have Washington and Tilak been ruled out of the T20 World Cup. They are the first choice picks and will be given all the time to recover,” a BCCI official said.
The India-New Zealand series concludes on Jan 31, also the deadline for the selectors to make any changes in the World Cup squad without an approval from the ICC technical committee. The T20 World Cup begins on Feb 7.
Iyer is best suited to replace Varma, having batted at No 3 right through IPL 2025 where he played a number of match-winning knocks. Varma and Suryakumar Yadav have been batting interchangeably at 3-4, an adjustment Iyer can comfortably make, with his proficiency against spin.
Interestingly, the selectors have preferred a specialist spinner in Bishnoi to replace Washington. It’s an indicator of the paucity of high quality all-round resources among reserves. Riyan Parag is yet to fully recover from an injury. Bishnoi is the fourth spinner added in the Indian squad together with Kuldeep Yadav, Varun Chakravarthy and Axar Patel.
“Washington Sundar underwent scans after reporting an acute onset discomfort in his lower rib area while bowling during the first ODI against New Zealand at the BCA Stadium, Vadodara, on 11 January. This was followed by an in-person consultation with an expert. He has been diagnosed with a side strain and has been advised rest for a few days, following which he will report to the BCCI Centre of Excellence (COE) for further management of his injury,” a BCCI statement said.
{{/usCountry}}“Washington Sundar underwent scans after reporting an acute onset discomfort in his lower rib area while bowling during the first ODI against New Zealand at the BCA Stadium, Vadodara, on 11 January. This was followed by an in-person consultation with an expert. He has been diagnosed with a side strain and has been advised rest for a few days, following which he will report to the BCCI Centre of Excellence (COE) for further management of his injury,” a BCCI statement said.
{{/usCountry}}Earlier, on Jan 7, Varma underwent surgery for an abdominal issue in Rajkot that ruled him out of the first three T20Is against New Zealand.