T20 World Cup 2026: Washington Sundar starts batting at BCCI CoE; India likely to play waiting game

NEW DELHI: In a positive development, India all-rounder Washington Sundar has resumed batting in the nets as part of his rehabilitation at the BCCI Centre of Excellence (CoE) in Bengaluru. TimesofIndia.com has learnt that his batting session lasted around 30 minutes, though tenderness around the rib area continues to persist.

Sundar has been sidelined from competitive cricket due to discomfort in the rib area and it is learnt that the 26-year-old has a mild fracture in addition to the side strain. Before checking into CoE, he had also consulted Dr Dinshaw Pardiwala and while the initial assessment revealed internal oblique muscle tear, the follow-ups showed a mild fracture.



At this stage, it would need a miraculous recovery for the all-rounder to be on the park from the first game of the T20 World Cup against USA to be played on February 7. The Indian team, however, is likely to follow a patient approach. There is a possibility of a thorough assessment in first week of February to ascertain readiness in line with Return To Play (RTP) protocols as the all-rounder's workload will be gradually increased in the coming days.

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There aren't any ready replacements for his skill-set and it is understood that coach Gautam Gambhir and captain Suryakumar Yadav want to have an off-spinner in the mix for the match-ups against the left-handers. It was for this very reason that Ravi Bishnoi was drafted into the squad for the ongoing New Zealand series because of his good record against the lefties and his ability to take the ball away from them on a consistent basis.

"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," says a source tracking developments.


The Indian cricket board had issued a statement on Sundar's injury ahead of the New Zealand T20Is when Bishnoi made a return to the scheme of things.

"Washington Sundar underwent scans after reporting an acute onset discomfort in his lower rib area while bowling during the first ODI against New Zealand at the BCA Stadium, Vadodara, on 11 January. This was followed by an in-person consultation with an expert. He has been diagnosed with a side strain and has been advised rest for a few days, following which he will report to the BCCI Centre of Excellence (COE) for further management of his injury," read the statement released on January 16.


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