Badoni Gets Maiden Call-up as Injuries Continue to Plague Team India
Team India’s ongoing One Day International (ODI) series against New Zealand has faced another fitness setback. Following the earlier exclusion of wicketkeeper Rishabh Pant, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has confirmed that all-rounder Washington Sundar is ruled out of the remaining matches. In his place, young sensation Ayush Badoni has been named as the replacement and will join the Men in Blue immediately.
Sundar’s Brave Effort in Vadodara
Trouble began for Sundar during the series opener in Vadodara on Sunday. While bowling, he experienced sudden discomfort in his left lower rib area. The pain was significant enough to force him off the field midway through the New Zealand innings after he had delivered five overs, conceding 27 runs.
Despite the injury, Sundar displayed remarkable grit by returning to bat at number 8. He forged a vital partnership with KL Rahul, helping India secure a tense four-wicket victory. However, the BCCI medical team has advised further scans to assess the severity of the rib injury, rendering him unavailable for the next two games.
Badoni Joins the Squad in Rajkot
Ayush Badoni, known for his explosive batting and handy off-spin, will link up with the squad in Rajkot ahead of the second ODI. This serves as a massive opportunity for the youngster to showcase his talent on the international stage if selected in the playing XI.
Growing Injury List for India
This series has been marred by injuries for the hosts. Just a day prior to the first match, Rishabh Pant was ruled out after suffering an abdominal blow during a net session. While Dhruv Jurel replaced Pant in the squad, KL Rahul took up the wicketkeeping duties in the first match. Additionally, Tilak Varma remains unavailable for the upcoming T20I leg of the series due to a groin issue requiring surgery.
Updated India Squad for 2nd and 3rd ODIs:
Shubman Gill (C), Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, KL Rahul (WK), Shreyas Iyer (VC), Ravindra Jadeja, Mohd Siraj, Harshit Rana, Prasidh Krishna, Kuldeep Yadav, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Arshdeep Singh, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Dhruv Jurel (WK), Ayush Badoni.
