The injury concerns for the Indian players add concerns to the men’s national cricket team ahead of the T20 World Cup 2026.
Following Tilak Varma’s injury, Team India faces yet another double blow as Washington Sundar was ruled out of the ongoing 3-match ODI series against New Zealand at home.
For the past week, three key Indian players succumbed to injury, with Washington being the latest entrant to the list.
With the increased side strain injury, the young spin bowling all-rounder is sidelined from the 5-match T20I series against New Zealand, commencing next week (from January 21, 2026 onwards).
Meanwhile, the Board of Control for Cricket in India has named the replacements for Tilak and Washington for the T20Is against New Zealand.
Multiple Injury Timeline: Big Setbacks for India in One Week
Here is how India’s T20 World Cup preparations were hampered by multiple injury setbacks within a week:
- Rishabh Pant: A sudden muscle tear and discomfort in his abdominal area during a practice session.
- Tilak Varma: An abdominal injury sustained while playing for Hyderabad in the Vijay Hazare Trophy 2025-26
- Washington Sundar: Suffered from a side strain during the India vs New Zealand 1st ODI 2026 in Vadodara.
Sundar’s Performance Despite Severe Injury in IND vs NZ 1st ODI 2026
During the ODI series opener against New Zealand at the BCA stadium in Kotambi, Washington Sundar bowled five overs and conceded 27 runs. His innings concluded wicketless as he had to walk off the field midway due to severe discomfort.
Despite the fitness concerns and injury setbacks, Washington came to bat at the No.8 position and played a supportive role alongside KL Rahul, scoring 7 runs off 7 balls to steer his team to a 4-wicket win in a 300+ run chase.
During the post match conversation, the Indian ODI skipper Shubman Gill clarified that the 26-year old suffered with huge paininn his lower right area.
Medical Experts About Washington Sundar’s Injury
After undergoing medical scans, the experts advised Washington Sundar to take complete rest for a few days. This means he should attend the rehabilitation at the BCCI Centre of Excellence (COE) to diagnose his injury completely.
New Replacements for Tilak and Washington Sundar
The BCCI selection committee has named Shreyas Iyer as the replacement to fill the void in the middle order left by the injured Tilak Varma. At the same time, legbreak googly spinner Ravi Bishnoi was added to the squad to replace the spin bowling all-rounder Washington Sundar.
However, it is to be noted that Iyer and Bishnoi’s inclusion has been limited to the first three out of five matches of the T20I series against New Zealand.
BCCI About Washington T20 World Cup Participation
As per the confirmation provided by the BCCI’s closest sources, Washington Sundar is likely to miss out on India’s first few matches in the starting stages of the T20 World Cup 2026:
“Yes! The selectors, as well as the team management, are under pressure to consider a backup plan. Possibly, Washington might miss out on the initial phases of the World Cup.
A proper decision about his participation throughout the tournament will depend upon the detailed report provided by the medical team.
As India’s matches are scheduled tobe playedy against associate teams, there could be chances of not naming a replacement, giving adequate time to recover with his fitness levels.
At the same time, one should remember he is unlikely to feature in the main XI even if he is fit and makes his comeback,” the BCCI source stated.
Former Cricketer’s Bold Warning to Team India
Kris Srikkanth, the former Indian cricketer and 1983 World Cup winner, warned the Gautam Gambhir-coached team about the excessive workload in the bowling department. He suggested to reconsider depth in the playing XI following the injury concerns of Washington Sundar:
“See! The bowling workload issues have been clearly evident with the Indian cricket team players due to the recurring side strain injuries. It’s time for India to reconsider depth in the batting and bowling line-up, priortizing Shivam Dube and Axar Patel as the backups,” the 66-year old said.
India’s T20I Squad for New Zealand and the T20 World Cup 2026
Team India has maintained the same 15-member squad for New Zealand’s 20-over series as well as the T20 World Cup 2026. However, with Tilak Varma and Washington Sundar’s injury, Shreyas Iyer and Ravi Bishnoi could likely be the strongest candidates for replacement in a short span.
Here is the 15-member T20I squad for the Indian team as per the latest update:
- Sanju Samson
- Abhishek Sharma
- Suryakumar Yadav
- Shreyas Iyer (Replacement for Tilak Varma)
- Hardik Pandya
- Rinku Singh
- Shivam Dube
- Ishan Kishan
- Axar Patel
- Kuldeep Yadav
- Ravi Bishnoi (Replacement for Washington Sundar)
- Jasprit Bumrah
- Arshdeep Singh
- Harshit Rana
- Varun Chakravarthy