Washington Sundar flies to Colombo as replacement of Axar Patel.
Washington Sundar, a last-minute replacement before the Asia Cup final matchup against Sri Lanka on Sunday, joined the Indian team in Sri Lanka. The all-rounder takes the place of Axar Patel, who was struck many times on his wrist and forearm while batting in India's six-run loss to Bangladesh on Friday.
Sundar has been summoned up as a precaution because it is unknown how severe Axar's wounds are. Since the ODI World Cup approaches quickly, the management of Axar has reportedly been concerned about his hamstring in addition to the swelling in his forearm.
"Axar is currently suffering from multiple injuries. He has hurt his little finger, got hit on forearm by a throw from deep and most importantly has developed a hamstring niggle. So Washington has been called," a BCCI source told PTI on conditions of anonymity.
Meanwhile, Shubman Gill had earlier informed reporters that there were no major concern with Axar, calling the pain “temporary”,
On being asked about the all-rounder's status following the Bangladesh clash, Gill during the post-match press conference said: “I don't think there is anything wrong with Axar. I think that was temporary and nothing to worry about.”
Later on in the day, Sundar is anticipated to meet up with the rest of the crew. He will compete in the Asian Games in Hangzhou, China, as a member of the team representing India.
After the Asian Games final on Sunday, Sundar will probably go to Bengaluru, where he will join the other players for a two-week training camp.
It will be interesting to watch if Sundar immediately cracks the starting 11 after his last outing in the T20I series against Ireland last month.
Given his extensive experience bowling in powerplay overs, Sundar can be useful with his off-breaks, particularly against top-order left-handers from Sri Lanka.