Washington Sundar was dropped from India’s T20I squad on Thursday for the upcoming five-match series against West Indies, beginning October 6. Naman Dhir, who recently made his ODI debut, was named as his replacement. He had also recently made his ODI debut. According to BCCI, the decision was made with the upcoming away Test series against New Zealand in mind.
The board’s decision is closely tied to the upcoming Test series against New Zealand. Sundar has been asked to return to domestic cricket, as the Ranji Trophy season starts on October 11, allowing him to gain red-ball match experience before his Test assignment.
Also confirmed on October 1, in a separate development, Prasidh Krishna has been ruled out of the third ODI following a left hamstring injury he sustained during the second ODI in Guwahati. Anshul Kamboj has been selected to replace him for the third ODI, set to take place in Chandigarh. The West Indies are visiting India for a three-match ODI and five T20I series, scheduled from September 27 to October 17.
BCCI stated, “With the Ranji Trophy season commencing on October 11, Washington will get an opportunity to play red-ball cricket for his state team and prepare for the Test series.”
The BCCI’s main reason for omitting Sundar from the T20I squad is to manage his workload ahead of the Test series against New Zealand. By freeing him ahead of the five-match T20I series against the West Indies, the board allows him to participate in Ranji Trophy games starting October 11.
Red-ball form and rhythm are seen as vital groundwork for Test cricket, and the board has decided to focus on that rather than his ongoing participation in the shorter formats at this point in the calendar. This decision aligns with BCCI’s wider strategy of rotating key players across different formats instead of letting them play through an entire multi-format tour just before a Test series.
