Washington Sundar Set to Join Indian Squad in Delhi
India captain Suryakumar Yadav has confirmed that all-rounder Washington Sundar will link up with the national squad in Delhi ahead of their next T20 World Cup fixture against Namibia on February 12.
“Washy is joining us in Delhi,” Suryakumar said after India’s 29-run victory over the USA in their campaign opener. “He is good, everything is fine.”
Washington has been out of action since suffering a side strain during the first ODI against New Zealand last month. The injury ruled him out of the remainder of the ODI series, where he was replaced by Ayush Badoni. However, India chose not to name a replacement for him in their T20 World Cup squad, as the injury was not considered serious and Washington was not expected to be an automatic starter in the playing XI.
India were also without pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah in their opening match, with the fast bowler missing out due to illness. Suryakumar clarified that Bumrah’s absence was precautionary.
“He was having a high fever because of the weather, like how Abhishek [Sharma] was under the weather. But the rest everything is good,” he said.
Despite the win, India endured a shaky start against the USA. They were reduced to 77 for 6 in the first half, putting them under significant pressure. Suryakumar then anchored the innings with an unbeaten 84 off 49 balls, guiding India to 161 for 9 — a total that ultimately proved sufficient.
Reflecting on the innings, the India captain admitted the batting unit could have shown greater composure.
“Only I can tell how much pressure I was feeling,” Suryakumar said. “But I had the belief that I have batted in similar situations before. I’ve played a lot of cricket in the maidans of Mumbai, so I knew if I bat till the end, I can make a difference.”
Suryakumar also pointed to challenging pitch conditions but stopped short of using them as an excuse.
“It was a little different wicket from what it is always at the Wankhede. There wasn’t a lot of sun, so the pitch couldn’t be rolled and watered properly. The curator and groundsmen tried their best, but some things are not in their control,” he said. “That said, we can’t brush everything under the carpet. We could have batted a little better.”
He added that the innings offered valuable lessons despite the victory.
“After winning also you get to learn a lot of things. Today we learnt that we could have batted a little smarter. Two small partnerships could have got us to 160 rather than one or two batters trying to play till the end.”
India will hope to have both Washington Sundar and Jasprit Bumrah available as they look to build momentum when they face Namibia in Delhi.