The India National Cricket Team has suffered a massive setback, as Washington Sundar has been ruled out of the ongoing three-match ODI series against New Zealand at home.
The BCCI has on Monday, January 12, confirmed that Washington Sundar is ruled out of the remainder of the ongoing New Zealand series after suffering a strain during the opening ODI in Vadodara on Sunday (January 11).
Washington Sundar ruled out of remainder of New Zealand series
Washington Sundar felt sudden pain in his left lower rib area while bowling in the first ODI against New Zealand, and the discomfort was strong enough to pull him out of the bowling, as he could deliver only five overs at the BCA Stadium in Vadodara. However, he returned to bat and remained unbeaten on 7.
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However, the Indian cricket team management decided not to take any risks, ruling Washington Sundar out of the last two ODIs against New Zealand. Now, the off-spinner is set to undergo detailed scans, after which the BCCI medical team will consult specialists to assess the extent of the issue.
The BCCI stated in an official media release: “India all-rounder Washington Sundar reported an acute onset of discomfort in his left lower rib area while bowling during the first ODI against New Zealand at the BCA Stadium, Vadodara, on Sunday. He will undergo further scans, following which the BCCI Medical Team will seek expert opinion. Washington has been ruled out of the remaining two matches of the IDFC First Bank ODI series.”
Ayush Badoni gets maiden ODI call-up
Following the setback, the Indian selectors have called up Ayush Badoni as Sundar’s replacement. This is a big moment for Badoni, as it is his first call-up to India’s squad.
The BCCI media release further reads, “The Men’s Selection Committee has named Ayush Badoni as his replacement. Badoni will link up with the squad in Rajkot, the venue for the second ODI.”
Notably, the destructive right-handed batter has 693 runs in 27 List-A matches to his name. Badoni made a name for himself with his explosive batting in the IPL, where he has amassed 963 runs in 46 innings with the help of six fifties at a decent strike rate of over 138.
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Additionally, Badoni has so far scored 252 runs in 9 matches at an average of 28.00 in the ongoing Vijay Hazare Trophy 2025-26. He helped Delhi reach the knockouts of the tournament.
Gambhir factor behind Ayush Badoni jumps queue?
However, Badoni’s India call-up was a surprising one, as there were several experienced players available for the opportunity, like Ruturaj Gaikwad, Devdutt Padikkal, and even Ishan Kishan—who all can bat in the middle order and are in red-hot form—but they went with the Delhi lad.
Gautam Gambhir has always been a big admirer of Badoni, who was always backed by the Indian head coach when he was Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) mentor. Badoni also plays for Delhi—the state Gambhir represented—and then his off-spin bowling might have convinced the selectors to pick the young batter ahead of many big names as like for Sundar.
India’s updated squad for the 2nd and 3rd ODI against New Zealand:
Shubman Gill (C), Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, KL Rahul (WK), Shreyas Iyer (VC), Dhruv Jurel (WK), Ravindra Jadeja, Mohd Siraj, Harshit Rana, Prasidh Krishna, Kuldeep Yadav, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Arshdeep Singh, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Ayush Badoni.
