India all-rounder Washington Sundar has been ruled out of the rest of the ODI series against New Zealand after suffering a right-rib injury during the opening match in Vadodara. In his absence, the uncapped batsman Ayush Badoni has been drafted into the squad as cover.
Sundar had suffered the injury while bowling in the first ODI at BCA stadium here. He bowled five overs for 27 runs, retired from the field midway through New Zealand’s innings, and didn’t return. Even in visible agony, the left-handed batsman later walked out at No. 8 to help India eke out a four-wicket win.
The BCCI, in an official statement, said that a scan showed that the player had reported acute pain in his left lower ribcage when he was bowling. He will have additional imaging done, at which point the team will gather expert opinion on his return timeline.
Ayush Badoni, 26, has been drafted in for his first-ever India call-up. The Delhi batsman has played 27 List A games, aggregating at 36.47, with one hundred and five fifties to his credit. Mainly a top-order batter, Badoni has been preparing himself to be able to perform in roles in the middle and lower order, and he can also bowl some part-time offspin.
In the current Vijay Hazare Trophy, Badoni has bowled 22 overs in as many innings, taking four wickets at a decent average of 19.75 and an economy rate of 3.59. Modest returns with the bat recently, but he’s often done well when batting at No. 5 or lower, including his only List A hundred. He also arrives with IPL experience, having played 56 matches for Lucknow Super Giants.
Washington Sundar is the third player from India to have sustained an injury in recent days. Wicketkeeper-batter Rishabh Pant had earlier been ruled out of the ODI series with a side strain, while Tilak Varma will be unavailable for the first three T20Is as he recovers from groin surgery.
The injury was indicated by India’s ODI captain, Shubman Gill, after the Vadodara T20I, when he said that Sundar will have to undergo scans after complaining of a side strain.
Following the opening ODI, the series then heads to Rajkot on January 14 and Indore on January 18. Next, both sides will play a T20I series (5 matches) commencing on 21st January with matches scheduled at Nagpur, Raipur, Guwahati, Visakhapatnam, and Thiruvananthapuram, respectively. The series will act as key preparation for the T20 World Cup, to be played in India and Sri Lanka in February-March.
