In a concerning development for the India cricket team, Washington Sundar is expected to miss the first two T20 World Cup 2026 matches. The all-rounder had injured himself in Vadodara on January 11 while fielding.
Washington Sundar resumes batting
Washington had experienced some discomfort in the rib area. He didn’t bowl any further and came out to bat momentarily. Since then, the 26-year-old has been under rehabilitation. Washington had consulted Dr Dinshaw Pardiwala, and further assessment revealed an internal oblique muscle tear; the follow-ups showed a mild fracture.
Since then, Washington has been at the Centre of Excellence (CoE) in Bengaluru. Earlier today, he resumed batting in the nets. The all-rounder practised for about half an hour and experienced slight pain and discomfort around his rib region.
To miss 2 T20 World Cup matches
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) remains hopeful that Washington will regain full fitness for the much-anticipated India vs Pakistan match on February 15 in Colombo. However, that means he won’t be available for the USA and Namibia clashes.
“There are still over 15 days for India’s match vs Pakistan in the World Cup. Sundar is very much in the mix, and the plans as of now and a call will only be taken when there is no possibility of return. He was picked for the matchups vs left-handers, and that is why Ravi Bishnoi has been tried. There aren’t many options of off-spinners and bowling all-rounders available at the moment,” a source told the Times of India.
Stick with Sundar or back Bishnoi?
The BCCI had named Ravi Bishnoi as Washington’s replacement for the India vs New Zealand T20I series. Considering Sundar won’t be available for at least two group-stage matches and perhaps even more if his recovery takes longer, the board has to decide whether they should persist with him or bring Bishnoi into the T20 World Cup squad as his replacement.
Previously, it was also reported that BCCI had instructed the CoE to make Riyan Parag match-fit for the ICC event. If Bishnoi continues to perform as he did in Guwahati, the selectors will have a tough choice to make.
India’s squad for T20 World Cup 2026
Suryakumar Yadav (c), Abhishek Sharma, Tilak Varma, Sanju Samson (wk), Shivam Dube, Ishan Kishan (wk), Hardik Pandya, Arshdeep Singh, Jasprit Bumrah, Harshit Rana, Varun Chakaravarthy, Kuldeep Yadav, Axar Patel (vc), Washington Sundar, Rinku Singh
India’s schedule for T20 World Cup 2026
| Match | Date | Venue | Stage |
|---|---|---|---|
| India vs USA | February 7 | Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai | Group |
| India vs Namibia | February 12 | Arun Jaitley Stadium, Delhi | Group |
| India vs Pakistan | February 15 | R. Premadasa International Cricket Stadium, Colombo | Group |
| India vs Netherlands | February 18 | Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad | Group |
