NEW DELHI: The national selection committee and team management are sweating over Washington Sundar’s availability for next month’s T20 World Cup after it emerged that a side strain is more serious than first anticipated and will rule the allrounder out of the T20I series against New Zealand starting next week.Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SUBSCRIBE NOW!Sources said that the team management is already preparing backup plans for the initial stages of the tournament. TOI has learnt that the BCCI medical team has suggested that the team management wait for another week to get a proper assessment of Washington’s timeline of recovery. But it is also understood that they been advised to think of a ‘Plan B’ because the recovery period could be cutting it fine.
India have other injury worries too. While Tilak Varma is only ruled out of the first three T20Is, the team management has its fingers crossed till he takes the field after having undergone an emergency abdominal surgery last week.“As of now, the selectors and the team management have to think about a backup plan. There is a strong possibility Washington may not be fully fit for the initial stages of the World Cup. A call on his participation in the entire tournament can be discussed after a thorough report by the medical team. Since India mostly play associate nations in the first round of matches, there could be a case for not naming a replacement at all, giving him enough time to recover for the business end of the tournament. One must remember that he is not expected to start in the XI even when he is fit,” a BCCI source said.
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Washington is supposed to report to the Centre of Excellence (CoE) during the weekend. Sources said the medical team suspects the injury could be more serious than a mere side strain. A thorough assessment will be made of the area around his ribs.Teams are allowed to make changes till seven days before the start of the tournament. India are expected to play with a spin-heavy bowling attack during the T20 World Cup with Varun Chakravarthy, Kuldeep Yadav and Axar Patel likely to be the first-choice spinners.PROBABLE BACKUP PLANS FOR SUNDARRiyan Parag: Like-forlike option, but waiting for CoE clearance post a shoulder-injury rehab. Parag has resumed bowling and is throwing with full intensity at the BCCI’s Centre of Excellence. Fitness clearance expected as soon as next week.Shahbaz Ahmed: Another like-for-like replacement. In the last T20I series against South Africa, the left-arm spin-bowling allrounder from Bengal was called up when Axar Patel fell ill after the first two T20Is.Nitish Reddy: Has been travelling with team for over a year. Has been heavily backed by the team management but his medium-pace bowling has been unconvincing and rarely used.Ayush Badoni: The dark horse. Badoni is currently travelling with the ODI team as Washington’s replacement. It will be interesting to see if the selectors are willing to punt on a rookie.
