Washington Sundar, an Indian all-rounder, has been ruled out of the upcoming T20I series against New Zealand after suffering a side injury. Sundar complained of significant soreness in his lower ribs while bowling during the opening ODI on January 11 at the BCA Stadium in Vadodara. He then had scans and an in-person consultation with a doctor.
A medical examination later confirmed that Washington Sundar had suffered a side strain, prompting doctors to advise him to rest for a few days. The all-rounder will now return to the BCCI Centre of Excellence (CoE), where the medical team will oversee his rehabilitation and manage the injury.
The selectors named leg-spinner Ravi Bishnoi as his replacement in the T20I squad. They also included middle-order batter Shreyas Iyer in the team for the first three T20Is as a replacement for the injured Tilak Varma.
Tilak Varma is currently recovering under the supervision of the BCCI medical team. The 23-year-old has yet to begin any form of physical exercise, as the cut around his groin area has not fully healed. However, the Board said it will share more details on Tilak’s condition once he resumes skill-based training.
The timing of the injury isn’t ideal for either the player or India’s team management. Tilak has emerged as a key component of India’s T20 side over the last year, including scoring a vital knock in India’s Asia Cup 2025 final win against Pakistan. With India preparing to defend their T20 World Cup title, the team and fans will be crossing fingers for quick recovery.
The five-match T20 series against New Zealand will start on 21 January in Nagpur. The Men in Blue will be desperate to clinch the series and head into the showpiece event with momentum and confidence levels high.
India’s updated T20I squad:
Suryakumar Yadav (C), Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson (WK), Shreyas Iyer (first three T20Is), Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dube, Axar Patel (VC), Rinku Singh, Jasprit Bumrah, Harshit Rana, Arshdeep Singh, Kuldeep Yadav, Varun Chakaravarthy, Ishan Kishan (WK), Ravi Bishnoi
