New Delhi, July 17, 2026
India’s off-spin bowling all-rounder Washington Sundar has been ruled out of the third and final deciding ODI against England at Lord’s on Sunday after sustaining a hamstring injury.
Washington, 26, picked up the injury while completing a run in the 33rd over during India’s six-wicket defeat in the second ODI at Cardiff on Thursday. After a brief check from physio Kamlesh Jain, who then heavily strapped his right thigh, Washington resumed batting, but his stay ended on the very next delivery after he edged a short ball from pacer Saqib Mahmood to wicket-keeper Jos Buttler and fell for two.
Subsequently, Washington did not take the field during England’s chase, with Arshdeep Singh coming on as the substitute fielder. The three-match series is currently tied at 1-1, with the decider to be played at the iconic Lord’s.
IANS understands that Washington’s hamstring strain will need a few weeks of rest and rehab, which means he can’t take the field for Sunday’s clash. In his absence, left-arm wrist-spinner Kuldeep Yadav could get a look-in into the playing eleven.
Washington hit a match-winning 52 not out in the series opener win at Edgbaston and his absence leaves a massive void as India lacks a like-for-like replacement, especially with seam-bowling all-rounders Hardik Pandya, Harshit Rana and Nitish Kumar Reddy already sidelined due to varied injuries.
“Washington’s injury – which he had when he ran his first run to mid-off. His hamstring, I think, it looks like a bad injury, and next ball he got out,” India batting coach Sitanshu Kotak had said in the post-match press conference at Cardiff.
Kuldeep has had a tough run lately, featuring in just one of India’s last 13 international games across formats following a challenging IPL 2026 campaign for Delhi Capitals and made a switch to Lucknow Super Giants shortly after that.
While Kuldeep boasts an impressive record of 194 wickets in 121 ODIs, his lower-order batting limitations have impacted his selection into the playing eleven. If the Indian team management decides against his inclusion, they might bolster the batting by playing both Ishan Kishan and KL Rahul, provided the latter recovers from the illness that forced him to miss the game in Cardiff.(Agency)
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