Overview
- Sundar experienced acute discomfort in his left lower rib while bowling in the Jan. 11 ODI at Vadodara, left the field after five overs, and later batted unbeaten.
- Multiple reports indicate he is unlikely to regain full fitness before India’s Feb. 7 T20 World Cup opener, with recovery expected to take several weeks to about a month.
- He has been ruled out of the five-match T20I series against New Zealand starting Jan. 21 and will undergo further evaluation and rehabilitation at the CoE in Bengaluru.
- According to sources cited by the Times of India, the BCCI medical team will reassess his timeline within a week as team management prepares backup plans.
- Ayush Badoni has been drafted into the ODI squad as his replacement, and reports say selectors are weighing short-term T20I cover options, with names like Shahbaz Ahmed and Riyan Parag under discussion.