Washington Sundar replaces injured Chahar for SA ODIs

Deepak Chahar, who did not start the first ODI against South Africa, has been ruled out of the three-match ODI series at home with a stiff back. The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) confirmed that the all-rounder will be replaced by Tamil Nadu all-rounder, Washington Sundar, who himself makes a return to the Indian setup after a while.

Sundar’s last appearance for the national team came in 2022, against West Indies in during the third ODI in Ahmedabad. Since then, the all-rounder has always been so close to returning to the Indian XI, with injuries ruling him out. 

“The All-India Senior Selection Committee named Washington Sundar as replacement for Deepak Chahar for the remainder of the ODI series against South Africa. Mr. Chahar had a stiffness in his back after the third and final T20I against South Africa in Indore and did not feature in India’s Playing XI in the first ODI in Lucknow,” read BCCI’s statement.

“He will now head back to the National Cricket Academy (NCA) and will be monitored by the Medical Team there,” it added.

There are high chances that Sundar could be slotted straight into the playing XI for India, after their disastrous show in Lucknow. With their batting depth too looking shallow, the all-rounder could replace Ravi Bishnoi in the playing XI. On the other hand, India would want Chahar to be fit as soon as possible before he could fly out to Australia, to be part of India's T20 World Cup setup. 

While rumours suggested that Chahar would replace the injured Jasprit Bumrah in the 15-man squad, it is yet to be seen if the injury will play any role in that development. 

India’s ODI squad: Shikhar Dhawan (Captain), Ruturaj Gaikwad, Shubman Gill, Shreyas Iyer (vice-captain), Rajat Patidar, Rahul Tripathi, Ishan Kishan (wicket-keeper), Sanju Samson (wicket-keeper), Shahbaz Ahmed, Shardul Thakur, Kuldeep Yadav, Ravi Bishnoi, Mukesh Kumar, Avesh Khan, Mohd. Siraj, Washington Sundar.