Big Blow To India Ahead Of T20 World Cup 2026 After Star All-Rounder Ruled Out Of New Zealand T20Is Due To Injury

Indian all-rounder Washington Sundar has been ruled out of the five-match T20I series against New Zealand due to a side strain. He picked up the injury during the first ODI in Vadodara while bowling, after feeling pain in the left lower rib area. Because of this injury, he was also ruled out of the remaining ODI matches.

According to a PTI report, Sundar is not expected to recover in time for the T20I series, which begins on January 21. A BCCI official confirmed the news, saying that Sundar will miss the T20 series because of the side strain.
Despite the injury, Sundar came out to bat in the first ODI and played an important role in India’s win. He supported KL Rahul in a crucial partnership. After the match, Rahul said he was unaware that Sundar was injured and unable to run, and he praised him for his fighting effort.

Ayush Badoni has been named as Sundar’s replacement in the ODI squad.

Meanwhile, Ayush Badoni has been named as Sundar’s replacement in the ODI squad. This is Badoni’s first-ever call-up to the Indian team. Tilak Varma is also expected to miss the first three T20I matches after recently undergoing testicular surgery in Rajkot.
Sundar has been selected in India’s T20 World Cup squad, but his injury has raised concerns about his availability for the tournament. If he fails to recover in time, possible replacements include Sai Kishore, Shahbaz Ahmed, and Krunal Pandya.

In the ongoing ODI series, New Zealand bounced back after losing the first match by winning the second ODI and leveling the series. Chasing a target of 285 runs, New Zealand reached 286/3 in 47.3 overs. Daryl Mitchell starred with an unbeaten 131, while Glenn Phillips remained not out on 32. Earlier, KL Rahul scored an unbeaten 112 to help India post 284/7, with Shubman Gill   contributing 56 runs. For New Zealand, Kris Clarke picked up three wickets.

Washington Sundar’s injury has ruled him out of both the ODI and T20I series against New Zealand, creating concerns about his fitness ahead of the T20 World Cup. While India has made replacements for the series, his recovery will be closely watched as the team prepares for upcoming major tournaments.

India’s updated odi squad :  Shubman Gill (c), Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, KL Rahul (wk), Shreyas Iyer (vc), Ravindra Jadeja, Mohammed Siraj, Harshit Rana, Prasidh Krishna, Kuldeep Yadav, Dhruv Jurel (wk), Nitish Kumar Reddy, Arshdeep Singh, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Ayush Badoni.

T20I squad : Suryakumar Yadav (C), Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson (WK), , Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dube, Axar Patel (VC), Rinku Singh, Jasprit Bumrah, Harshit Rana, Arshdeep Singh, Kuldeep Yadav, Varun Chakaravarthy,  Ishan Kishan (WK)