Body blow to India as star-all rounder doubtful to participate in T20 World Cup: Report

India all-rounder Washington Sundar may face another blow after being ruled out of the upcoming T20I series against New  Zealand. He is reportedly doubtful to participate in the 2026 T20 World Cup that will commence from February 7. According to a report by Cricbuzz, Sundar is unlikely to regain full fitness by the time the tournament begins.

This comes after Sundar had sustained a side strain during the first ODI of the series against New Zealand. He had to walk off the field after bowling five overs and later came out to bat as India only required a few runs to win. He remained unbeaten on seven as India reached the 301-run target with six deliveries left to spare.

Sundar ruled out of remaining games vs NZ

However, the injury proved to be serious and saw Sundar first get ruled out of the remaining two games of the ODI series.and  BCCI had asked him to report at the Centre of Excellence in Bengaluru. Ayush Badoni was announced as his replacement into the team for the one-day assignment.

But, he was then also ruled out of the T20I series against New Zealand that will commence from January 21. India are scheduled to play five T20Is against the Kiwis at home before the World Cup begins and Sundar's exclusion is a major blow for them. His replacement for the assignment is yet to be announced.

Sundar's T20I career so far

Sundar has been an important figure in India's T20I set-up for quite some time now and has given decent performances in the format as of recent. He has played a total of 58 T20Is in his career so far, scoring 258 runs and clinching a total of 51 wickets. His bowling contributions have overshadowed his batting and he has become one of the team's most reliable spinners. It remaions to be seen as to when will he make a return to international cricket.

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Meanwhile, the ODI series between India and New Zealand is currently tied at 1-1 after the Kiwis won the second game by 7 wickets. The series will be decided in the third and final match that will be held at the Holkar stadium in Indore on January 18.