Overview
- India confirmed Washington Sundar will miss the five-match T20I series against New Zealand with a side strain and will report to the BCCI Centre of Excellence.
- Leg-spinner Ravi Bishnoi has been named as Sundar’s replacement, while Shreyas Iyer joins the squad for the first three T20Is in place of the injured Tilak Varma.
- Tilak Varma recently underwent surgery for abdominal pain and has been ruled out of the opening three T20Is, with reports indicating a three-to-four week recovery window.
- Indian media reports say selectors and medical staff are evaluating a ‘Plan B’ for the early stages of the T20 World Cup as Sundar’s recovery timeline is assessed.
- Selection handling remains under scrutiny, with assistant coach Ryan ten Doeschate criticizing Nitish Kumar Reddy’s impact, former players urging patience, and R. Ashwin questioning Arshdeep Singh’s ODI omission.