Washington Sundar ruled out of remainder of ODI series vs NZ: Sources

New Delhi, Jan 12 (IANS) India's off-spin all-rounder Washington Sundar has been ruled out of the team’s last two matches in the ongoing ODI series against New Zealand after suffering a side strain during the series opener in Vadodara on Sunday, a source told IANS on Monday.

The source also said that it is doubtful if Sundar will be available for the five-match T20I series against New Zealand, which will start on January 21 in Nagpur.

"Sundar has been ruled out of the remaining two ODIs against New Zealand after being diagnosed with a side strain picked up after taking a blow on the left rib in the first game in Vadodara. It remains to be seen if he will be available for T20Is against New Zealand, as recovery from side strain takes time,” a source aware of the development told IANS on Monday.

Skipper Shubman Gill had also addressed the presenter’s query about Sundar after the match and said that the all-rounder had been taken for scans after the match. “He (Washington) will be going for a scan, so we’ll know more once that’s done,” the Indian Test and ODI skipper had mentioned during the presentation ceremony.

Harshit Rana, too, was asked about an update around Sundar at the post-match press conference, where he told reporters, "Washington Sundar has a side strain. He was in pain while batting. The medical team will assess and will update."

While the BCCI is yet to confirm the update, this is a significant setback for the hosts, especially with the home T20 World Cup upcoming.

Currently, the all-rounder is also part of India's World Cup squad, but it remains uncertain whether the dependable yet injury-prone Sundar will recover in time for T20I series.

This is the third injury blow for the Men in Blue in this white-ball series against New Zealand after Rishabh Pant and Tilak Varma. While the keeper-batter was ruled out of the ODI series after suffering a side strain last week, with Dhruv Jurel replacing him in the squad, Varma underwent surgery for a groin injury and was ruled out of the first three T20Is of the five-game series.