In what has come as a huge development, young spinner Harsh Dubey has been added to the Indian ODI squad as a replacement for Washington Sundar. Sundar, who got injured in the second ODI in Cardiff, has been ruled out of the series-deciding Lord’s ODI. Dubey made his international debut against Afghanistan and is now slotted in India’s squad as a somewhat like-for-like replacement.
Injured Washington Sundar out of Lord’s ODI
Washington Sundar picked up a right hamstring injury during the second ODI at Sophia Gardens in Cardiff. Because of that, he has been ruled out for the rest of the series. In that match against England, Sundar scored just 2 runs from 5 balls. In the middle of the innings, TV cameras caught the all-rounder getting treatment on the sidelines as the physio put a strap on his thigh. And when he got out, he walked off looking clearly uncomfortable. He didn’t return to bowl a single over in the next innings as well before India succumbed to a defeat after Joe Root’s brilliance.
For his injury, the BCCI gave an update as well. “Washington sustained a right hamstring injury during the second ODI at Sophia Gardens, Cardiff, and has been ruled out of the remainder of the series. He will undergo scans and seek a specialist opinion for further management of his injury,” BCCI wrote in their release.
Updated India squad for 3rd ODI vs England
Shubman Gill (Captain), Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer (Vice-Captain), KL Rahul (WK), Ishan Kishan (WK), Axar Patel, Shivam Dube, Kuldeep Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah, Prasidh Krishna, Arshdeep Singh, Gurnoor Brar, Prince Yadav, Harsh Dubey
Kuldeep’s place under threat?
First and foremost, we should digest that the current BCCI selection committee has clearly moved on from Ravindra Jadeja. We talked about this earlier as well, suggesting that Gautam Gambhir-led management wants to look beyond Jadeja. That’s why he hasn’t been drafted to the team despite being an able all-rounder.
Now, India have picked Harsh Dubey, who plays for the Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) in the IPL and is a left-arm spin-bowling all-rounder. Dubey perhaps will provide more bowling than Sundar, who has bowled just 25 overs out of the total 50 he could’ve bowled. As mentioned above, the SRH all-rounder made his debut in the previous series against Afghanistan, when India opted to rest Axar Patel. Dubey took four wickets in two games, including a three-fer in his debut game.
The fact that Harsh is a capable batter as well means Kuldeep Yadav’s spot might be in danger for the third ODI. With no Sundar, Kuldeep was an ideal candidate to slot into the team. However, with India’s obsession with using as many multi-skilled players, Kuldeep’s inclusion might not be straightforward. While he still remains the prime option, no one knows India opt for Dubey in order to have more stability with the bat.
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