The All-India Senior Selection Committee on Tuesday named all-rounder Shahbaz Ahmed as the replacement of Washington Sundar for the Zimbabwe ODIs, starting Thursday in Harare. The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) release an official statement to confirm the development.
“Washington Sundar injured his shoulder while playing a County game in England. He has been ruled out of the Zimbabwe tour,” the statement read.
“India will play the first ODI against Zimbabwe at the Harare Sports Club on August 18, 2022,” it added.
Here’s what the squad looks like following the addition of Shahbaz Ahmed:
India’s squad for 3 ODIs: KL Rahul (captain), Shikhar Dhawan (vice-captain), Ruturaj Gaikwad, Shubman Gill, Deepak Hooda, Rahul Tripathi, Ishan Kishan (wicketkeeper), Sanju Samson (wicket-keeper), Shardul Thakur, Kuldeep Yadav, Axar Patel, Avesh Khan, Prasidh Krishna, Mohd Siraj, Deepak Chahar, Shahbaz Ahmed.
Sundar has had a rough last 12 months as he missed one series after another due to various types of injuries as well as Covid-19-related issues. His saga of never-ending injuries started back in July 2021 when he had a fractured finger while batting for Combined Counties against the Indian team in a warm-up game.
That injury led to him missing the entire domestic season and then before the white ball series in South Africa in January 2022, he was down with Covid. A month later, he missed the twin white ball home series against West Indies and Sri Lanka because of a hamstring injury.
During IPL in April &May, he split his webbing and missed out on five games for Sunrisers Hyderabad. After extensive rehabilitation, the BCCI played a role in getting him a county deal with Lancashire.
Earlier, KL Rahul was cleared by the BCCI medical team to play in the upcoming three-match ODI series. The selection committee has appointed him the captain of the side and named Shikhar Dhawan as his deputy.
While there will be no Rahul Dravid heading the team of support staff for the short three-match series, starting August 18 in Harare, NCA head VVS Laxman is almost certain to follow the blueprint set by the head coach.
