The signs were clear in Vadodara, the venue for the first ODI between India and New Zealand. Washington Sundar left the field after bowling five overs, and belatedly when he came out to bat at No. 8, he wasn’t moving well. It felt like the injury was more than a side strain, something that was going to trouble him.
The confirmation came a day later via a statement from the BCCI that said: “India all-rounder Washington Sundar reported an acute onset discomfort in his left lower rib area while bowling during the first ODI against New Zealand at the BCA Stadium, Vadodara, on Sunday. He will undergo further scans, following which the BCCI Medical Team will seek expert opinion.”
It added: “Washington has been ruled out of the remaining two matches of the IDFC First Bank ODI series.
“The Men’s Selection Committee has named Ayush Badoni as his replacement. Badoni will link up with the squad in Rajkot, the venue for the second ODI.”
More on Badoni later, but it would be very surprising if Washington is declared fit for the five-match T20I series against the Kiwis that starts in Nagpur on January 21 on the heels of the ongoing one-dayers. With the T20 World Cup around the corner, the selectors and the team management, in conjunction with the BCCI’s medical team, will not take any chances if there’s the slightest doubt. But even if the spin-bowling all-rounder is ruled out of the bilateral T20Is, which is likely, the team has enough quality slow-bowling options via Axar Patel, Varun Chakravarthy and Kuldeep Yadav.
The selectors didn’t name a replacement for Tilak Varma and Ishan Kishan is expected to bat at No. 3 in his absence. Will Ajit Agarkar’s committee bring in a cover for Washington? If it does, then Bengal’s spin-bowling all-rounder Shahbaz Ahmed deserves to be considered.
Now, the Badoni part… The all-rounder from Delhi who bowls off-spin, is a like-for-like replacement for Washington in the ODI squad. The team management obviously wasn’t confident enough to straightway include him in the playing XI in Rajkot. The downside was that on a sluggish pitch, the hosts were a spinner short.
“Yeah, I mean, if you look at the combinations we have played in the past, we do like the extra spinner,” Ryan ten Doeschate, India’s assistant coach, said at the post-match press conference. “You know, to bring Ayush into the squad at the very last minute with Washi going down in the game, we thought Nitish (Kumar Reddy) should be better suited on this track. And obviously, looking at the way the New Zealand spinners bowled, we could have done with another spinner tonight.”
On the face of it, Badoni’s inclusion in the squad suggests a selection error. Shahbaz could have been included for the 50-over format as well, for there’s no harm in having two left-arm spin-bowling all-rounders. Shahbaz has played for India in the shorter formats. He is playing domestic cricket. Drafting him into the T20I squad for the series against the Kiwis would be a fair call.
The Reddy conundrum
The selectors pick him as an all-rounder, but his captains seemingly don’t trust his bowling much – be it Rishabh Pant in the Guwahati Test against South Africa or Shubman Gill in the second ODI against New Zealand in Rajkot. Playing as a sixth bowling option, Reddy bowled just two overs on Wednesday. As far as his batting was concerned, he had the opportunity to build a partnership with KL Rahul. But a mistimed pull put paid to that possibility.
A question on his selection and his role in the team was due at the post-match presser, and when it came, Ten Doeschate refreshingly didn’t beat around the bush. “Yeah, I think with Nitish, you know, we keep talking about developing him and getting him game time,” he said.
“And then when you do get him game time, he often ends up not doing a heck of a lot in the games. But you know, for someone who’s making their way in the game, particularly with the bat tonight, it’s that perfect chance where you are walking in that situation and you have got a chance to spend 15 overs at the wicket. You know, you really have to take those chances to push your case to be selected.”
The team management shouldn’t be blamed if they start losing faith in the Andhra all-rounder. That he is struggling to raise his game is a concern. India need a back-up for Hardik Pandya in ODIs.
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