Washington Sundar ruled out of Zimbabwe ODIs owing to shoulder injury

Just when India all-rounder Washington Sundar looked set to make his return to the international arena, his wait extended as the youngster will now sit out of the upcoming Zimbabwe ODI series. The 22-year-old will receive treatment at the NCA in Bengaluru for a left shoulder injury which he reportedly suffered during a 50-over match for his county team Lancashire.

India will start their tour of Zimbabwe by playing the first of the three scheduled ODIs, on August 18. The Men in Blue will be led by KL Rahul, who will also be marking his return to cricket after a gap of more than two months. This time again, many of the senior players have been rested and Rahul will be in charge of leading a young troupe, just like Shikhar Dhawan did against West Indies.

“Yes, Washington Sundar is ruled out of the Zimbabwe series. He has suffered an injury on his left shoulder while fielding during the Royal London Cup game between Lancashire and Worcestershire at Old Trafford. He will have to undergo rehabilitation at the National Cricket Academy,” a senior BCCI source was quoted as saying by The Times of India.

“You feel for Washi. Such a talented guy. Somehow or the other, the rub of the green isn’t going his way. He needs some luck. The latest injury is a freak one as he was just about to play for India in a week,” another official in the know of the development said.

Washington Sundar’s tryst with injuries

Sundar has had a difficult past year, missing series after series because of a number of injuries and issues with Covid-19. In July 2021, while playing for Combined Counties in a warm-up game against the Indian team, he fractured his finger, beginning a seemingly endless series of injuries.

After having missed the entire domestic season due to that injury, he contracted Covid-19 before the white-ball series against South Africa in January 2022. A month later, a hamstring injury caused him to miss the home series against Sri Lanka and West Indies.

He split his webbing during the IPL in April and May and missed five games for Sunrisers Hyderabad. After undergoing extensive therapy, the BCCI helped secure him a county contract with Lancashire, and he also claimed his maiden five-wicket haul in county cricket, in a day’s play for the Roses. The 22-year-old has so far participated in 31 T20Is, four Tests, and the same number of ODIs thus far.