Ravi Bishnoi Replaces Washington Sundar in India's T20 Squad Against New Zealand

Ravi Bishnoi Joins T20 Squad

On Friday, leg-spinner Ravi Bishnoi was named as a replacement for the injured all-rounder Washington Sundar in India's T20 international team for the upcoming five-match series against New Zealand.

Sundar will be unable to participate in the series starting January 21 in Nagpur.

Additionally, experienced batsman Shreyas Iyer has been included in the squad for the first three T20 internationals against New Zealand, as Tilak Varma is sidelined due to a side strain.

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) announced, 'All-rounder Washington is out of the upcoming IDFC First Bank T20 international series against New Zealand. The men's selection committee has named Ravi Bishnoi as his replacement.'

Bishnoi has taken 61 wickets in 42 T20 internationals, with his last appearance being in February 2025 against England.

The BCCI further stated, 'Washington Sundar complained of sharp pain in the rib area while bowling during the first ODI against New Zealand on January 11 at the Vadodara BCA Stadium, after which he underwent a scan.'

Sundar will now head to the BCCI's Center of Excellence for recovery. The statement continued, 'Following this, he consulted a specialist who diagnosed him with a side strain and advised a few days of rest before reporting back to the BCCI's Center of Excellence for further treatment.'

The updated T20 international squad for India is as follows: Suryakumar Yadav (captain), Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson (wicketkeeper), Shreyas Iyer (for the first three T20 internationals), Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dube, Axar Patel (vice-captain), Rinku Singh, Jasprit Bumrah, Harshit Rana, Arshdeep Singh, Kuldeep Yadav, Varun Chakravarthy, Ishan Kishan (wicketkeeper), and Ravi Bishnoi.