Washington Sundar ruled out of New Zealand ODIs with side strain

India all-rounder Washington Sundar has been ruled out of the remainder of the ODI series against New Zealand, having suffered a side strain. Sundar picked up the injury while bowling in the series-opening clash in Vadodara on January 11. The BCCI has named Ayush Badoni as the replacement.

"India all-rounder Washington Sundar reported an acute onset discomfort in his left lower rib area while bowling during the first ODI against New Zealand at the BCA Stadium, Vadodara, on Sunday. He will undergo further scans, following which the BCCI Medical Team will seek expert opinion," a BCCI release said.

Sundar left the field after sending down five overs for 27 runs and did not return to field. He came to bat out of his usual position – at No. 8 – after Harshit Rana in India's chase of 301. The 26-year-old hobbled while each of his running attempts during his run-a-ball seven as he held one end up, with KL Rahul present at the other. Rahul struck debutant Kristian Clarke for 4, 6, 4 in the penultimate over to secure a four-wicket win for India.

Asked about the extent of Sundar’s injury, Rahul had told broadcasters after the match that he was not sure of his status while skipper Shubman Gill had confirmed that Sundar would undergo scans to assess the magnitude of his niggle.

"I didn't know he (Washington) couldn't run. I knew he had a bit of an injury in the first innings, but I wasn't aware of the extent. That said, he was striking the ball really well. When he came in, we were already going at about a run-a-ball, so there was no need to take unnecessary risks. There wasn't too much pressure on him. He rotated the strike and did his job,” Rahul told JioStar.

Allrounder Rana was also queried about Sundar’s injury at the post-match presser.

“Washington Sundar has a side strain. He was in pain while batting. Our medical team will assess and will update,’ Rana told the media.

Sundar has joined Rishabh Pant as the second player to be ruled out of the ODI series with an injury. Pant suffered an oblique muscle tear while training in the lead-up to the first ODI and was subsequently ruled out for the entire series, with the BCCI naming Dhurv Jurel as his replacement.

Pant’s injury did not derail India’s plan as he was the second-choice wicketkeeper after KL Rahul. 

India and New Zealand play the second ODI in Rajkot on January 14 followed by the third and final in Indore on January 18. The ODI series will be followed by the five-match T20I series before the 2026 T20 World Cup.

India’s updated squad for second and third ODIs

Shubman Gill (C), Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, KL Rahul (WK), Shreyas Iyer (VC), Ravindra Jadeja, Mohd Siraj, Harshit Rana, Prasidh Krishna, Kuldeep Yadav, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Arshdeep Singh, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Dhruv Jurel (WK), Ayush Badoni