IND vs NZ 2026: Washington Sundar ruled out of ODI series with side strain, Ayush Badoni named as replacement

Washington Sundar sustained a side strain during the first innings of the first ODI between India and New Zealand, which was played at the BCA Stadium in Vadodara on Sunday, January 11. The Tamil Nadu all-rounder bowled just five overs and conceded 27 runs before leaving the field.

There were doubts about whether Sundar would come out to bat in the second innings, with India chasing a challenging target of 301 runs. The 26-year-old braved the pain and walked out to bat at No. 8, when the hosts needed 22 runs to win off as many balls. He scored a run-a-ball seven and stayed unbeaten till the end as India romped home with four wickets and an over to spare.

"I didn't know he (Washington) couldn't run. I knew he had a bit of an injury in the first innings, but I wasn't aware of the extent. That said, he was striking the ball really well. When he came in, we were already going at about a run-a-ball, so there was no need to take unnecessary risks. There wasn't too much pressure on him. He rotated the strike, and did his job," KL Rahul, who batted till the end of the run-chase with the Chennai-born, said while speaking to the broadcaster after the match.

During the subsequent post-match press conference, Harshit Rana, who also played a key role with bat and ball, shared a concerning update on Sundar.

"Washington Sundar has a side strain. He was in pain while batting. Our medical team will assess and will update," Rana stated.

As per a report from Cricbuzz, Sundar has been ruled out of the last two matches of the series, which will be played in Rajkot and Indore on January 14 and 18, respectively.

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Sundar is the second Indian cricketer to be ruled out of the ODI series after Rishabh Pant, who suffered an oblique muscle tear while training before the opening encounter. Dhruv Jurel was named as Pant's replacement. The BCCI has announced Ayush Badoni as Sundar's replacement.