India captain Shubman Gill has delivered an important update on all-rounder Washington Sundar following India’s four-wicket victory over New Zealand in the opening ODI at the Baroda Cricket Association Stadium in Vadodara. Sundar picked up a side strain during the match and is set to undergo medical scans to assess the extent of the injury.
Speaking at the post-match presentation, Gill confirmed that Sundar experienced discomfort while bowling and left the field midway through New Zealand’s innings. Although the Indian skipper did not provide a detailed prognosis, side strains are known to require careful management and recovery time, which puts Sundar’s availability for the remainder of the series in doubt.
Despite the injury, Washington Sundar showed immense grit by returning to bat at number eight during India’s chase. He played a composed and valuable role alongside KL Rahul, remaining unbeaten on seven runs as the pair added 27 runs for the eighth wicket. Their partnership helped India reach the target of 301 with six balls to spare, sealing a confident start to the series.
Sundar had earlier bowled five overs and conceded 27 runs before walking off the field. His determination to contribute with the bat did not go unnoticed, especially given the physical limitations he was dealing with. KL Rahul later revealed that he was unaware of the seriousness of Sundar’s condition during their partnership and praised his calm approach at a crucial stage of the chase.
“I knew he had some discomfort earlier but didn’t realise he couldn’t run freely. He struck the ball well and rotated the strike. There was no panic and he did exactly what the situation demanded,” Rahul said after the match.
The match itself was a strong all-round performance from India. Virat Kohli was named Player of the Match for the 45th time in his ODI career after scoring a fluent 93 while chasing. Shubman Gill added a solid half-century and Shreyas Iyer narrowly missed out on his fifty with a score of 49. Earlier, India’s bowlers kept New Zealand in check, with Mohammed Siraj Harshit Rana and Prasidh Krishna picking up two wickets each to restrict the visitors to 300 for eight.
With scans scheduled for Washington Sundar, the Indian team management will closely monitor his fitness as they prepare for the rest of the series against New Zealand.