Washington Sundar ruled of WI T20Is, Kuldeep named replacement

Washington Sundar, the West Indies’ spin-bowling all-rounder, was ruled out of the three-match T20 International series on Monday due to a hamstring issue, adding to his never-ending difficulties. The BCCI announced in a statement that Kuldeep Yadav has been picked as Washington’s substitute by the All-India senior selection committee.

“Washington Sundar, an all-rounder, suffered a left hamstring muscle strain while fielding in the third One-Day International against the West Indies on Friday at the Narendra Modi Stadium. He has been ruled out of the forthcoming three-match Paytm T20I Series, which begins on February 16th in Kolkata”, according to the BCCI.

Washington had just completed an amazing comeback in the last three-match ODI series against the West Indies, and he was hoping to continue his strong all-round performance in the one-dayers, which begin on Wednesday. After an extended absence owing to a hand injury acquired during the England trip, Washington returned to competitive cricket in the Vijay Hazare Trophy. He was chosen for the South Africa one-day series. However, he tested positive for COVID and was unable to participate in the series. After that, Jayant Yadav was added to the team.

With Axar Patel already out due to injury and Washington ruled out, the Indian team was down to Yuzvendra Chahal as their primary spinner before the selectors added Kuldeep to the roster. Washington was sidelined due to a hamstring issue and did not practice that day. On the condition of anonymity, a seasoned BCCI official told PTI that with three T20 matches in just five days, he seemed to be in danger of missing the entire series. Washington will be rehabilitated at the National Cricket Academy (NCA) alongside Axar Patel and KL Rahul. During the two-day IPL mega auction, Sunrisers Hyderabad paid Rs 8.75 crore for the 22-year-old Washington.