Spin bowling allrounder Washington Sundar has been ruled out of India’s three-match T20I series against the West Indies, February 16 in Kolkata. Sundar’s struggles with injuries continue as he has now gone down with a hamstring issue, the BCCI confirmed on the eve of the series opener.
The board informed that Sundar picked up strain on his left hamstring muscle while fielding in the third one-dayer against the tourists on February 11 in Ahmedabad.
“All-rounder Washington Sundar suffered a left hamstring muscle strain during fielding in the third ODI against the West Indies,”
the BCCI said in a media release.
Ruling him out of the three-match T20I series, the board also roped in a replacement in wristspinner Kuldeep Yadav.
The 27-year-old wasn’t initially part of the team’s T20I plans, but it seems the need to maintain the bio-bubble’s sanctity in a quick turnaround has played a part in his comeback to the shortest format.
Sundar, a promising off-spinner and solid lower middle-order batter, had only just made his international comeback with the West Indies ODIs. It is highly unfortunate what the young allround cricketer has had to go through over the best part of last year.
Previously, he had to be ruled out of the ODI leg of the tour of South Africa in January because of an untimely positive Covid test prior to his departure for the series. It left India unbalanced for the tour, where they were already missing their premier allrounders Hardik Pandya and Ravindra Jadeja, and they suffered a 3-0 whitewash against an inexperienced South African side.
Before that positive test, Sundar also had to miss the second half of the IPL 2021 and the 2021 T20 World Cup as he went through an extended rehab for a finger injury picked up while playing a practice match during the tour of England in July last year.
The cricketer now enters another round of rehabilitation for the hamstring issue at the NCA in Bangalore, hoping to be fit for the home series against Sri Lanka and also the IPL 2022.
