India Called Out For Putting Washington Sundar At Risk: 'You Protected Shubman Gill But...'

Washington Sundar, who suffered a rib injury during India’s four-wicket win over New Zealand in the first ODI in Vadodara, was unnecessarily risked by the team management by sending him to bat ahead of the tailenders, feels former India cricketer Mohammad Kaif. Sundar bowled five overs during New Zealand’s innings and left the field midway only to return to bat at no. 8 when the high-scoring contest was delicately poised.

Clearly, Sundar was uncomfortable and wasn’t able to run more than a single despite the shots being played into the deep region with the team needing a run-a-ball. Kaif felt that even though the chase of 301 was under control, India made the wrong call as it could’ve aggravated Sundar’s injury further.

“It was a wrong call to

send an injured Washington Sundar to bat. If you needed a run-a-ball, you could’ve tried someone else ahead of an injured player. In a pressure situation, he wasn’t even able to run a double. Even though the match was under control, sending an injured player always carries the risk of aggravating the injury, which could extend the recovery period from a week to even a month. That was the wrong call,” Kaif said on his YouTube channel.

Sundar has been ruled out from the remainder of the three-match ODI series. Kaif said that Sundar should have only been sent if the team had no other option and cited the case of Shubman Gill to drive home his point.

“You could’ve sent Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Siraj, or even Prasidh Krishna. Sundar should’ve been sent only when there was no other option left. When Shubman Gill got injured in the Kolkata Test against South Africa, he didn’t return to bat. It was a low-scoring match, and despite having a neck issue, 20–30 runs from his bat could’ve won India the game – but he didn’t bat. So, you’re protecting one player from further aggravation but not applying the same logic in Sundar’s case. His injury could’ve gotten worse,” he concluded.