After winning the Test series 1-0 against Sri Lanka, the men in blue are ready host the visitors in the 50-over format. But the hosts have suffered a major blow on the eve of the first ODI as Kedar Jadhav has been ruled out of the series due to a hamstring injury.
Jadhav was almost a certainty in the playing XI due to his steady batting in the middle-order as well as handy off-spinners. As his replacement, Washington Sundar has been roped into the squad. He was already named in the squad for the T20I series that follows the 3 ODIs against Sri Lanka.
Sundar’s selection shows that the selectors are keen to give the youngsters a go in international cricket. The 18-year-old has had an outstanding run this year. Initially, he burst onto the scene with impressive performances in the Indian Premier League while representing the runners-up Rising Puner Supergiant.
Then, he literally owned the Tamil Nadu Premier League where he ended up being the leading run-getter as well as the second highest wicket-taker. His performances in the domestic cricket recently aided his case for an international call-up.
Earlier, he had failed the ‘Yo-Yo’ Test which is a compulsion these days for an entry into the Indian side. But he was able to clear it in his second attempt after which he was considered for selection in the T20I squad.
Sundar is definitely the one to watch out for the future as he is a genuine all-rounder. The tall off-spinner generates good bounce and his batting is an added advantage. If he does well against Sri Lanka, he makes a strong case for himself for the future.
India’s squad for the ODI series
Rohit Sharma(c), Shikhar Dhawan, Ajinkya Rahane, Shreyas Iyer, Manish Pandey, Washington Sundar, Dinesh Karthik, MS Dhoni, Hardik Pandya, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Yuzvendra Chahal, Jasprit Bumrah, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Siddarth Kaul.
