Injured Washington Sundar ruled out of New Zealand T20Is; World Cup availability in doubt: Report

According to a PTI report, Sundar is not expected to recover in time for the five-match T20I series, scheduled to begin on January 21.

In the first ODI, Sundar walked out to bat despite his injury and helped KL Rahul guide India to victory. After the match, Rahul revealed that he didn't know that Sundar couldn't run and also praised the all-rounder for his role in the match-winning partnership.

Meanwhile, Ayush Badoni has been roped in as his replacement in the India squad for the ODI series. It is his maiden India call-up. Tilak Varma is also set to miss the first three games of the T20I series after undergoing testicular surgery in Rajkot recently.

Sundar is also part of the T20 World Cup squad. Recent news has raised questions about his availability for the tournament. If Sundar fails to return to the squad for the T20 World Cup, the likely replacement options are Sai Kishore, Shahbaz Ahmed, Krunal Pandya.

After losing the first ODI, New Zealand managed to stage a comeback in the second fixture, levelling the series. Chasing 285 runs, the visitors cruised to 286/3 in 47.3 overs, courtesy of Daryl Mitchell's (131*) unbeaten ton. Meanwhile, Glenn Phillips (32*) also remained unbeaten.

Initially, KL Rahul's (112*) century saw INdia post 284/7 in 50 overs. Meanwhile, Yashasvi Jaiswal (56) got a half-century. For New Zealand's bowling department, Kris Clarke took three wickets.

Click here to read article