India allrounder Washington Sundar has been ruled out of the third ODI against England at Lord's on Sunday after injuring his leg during the second ODI in Cardiff on Thursday.
While left-arm spin allrounder Harsh Dubey has been called up as a replacement for Sundar in the squad, the team might consider playing left-arm wristspinner Kuldeep Yadav at Lord's.
Sundar made 2 off 5 balls in India's loss in Cardiff. During a break in the innings, he was seen getting his thigh strapped up by the physio and when he was dismissed, he left the field in visible discomfort. Sundar did not come out to field during England's chase.
"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 said after the match.
From a fringe player when they still had R Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja to call on, Washington had grown to become a key member of the Indian team across formats. He hit the winning runs in the first ODI against England - a six that also brought up his half-century. The series is tied 1-1. India value Washington for the batting depth he can bring.
KL Rahul missed the second ODI with illness and Ishan Kishan took his place. If India are comfortable without Washington's overs, they might just play both Rahul and Kishan in the XI at Lord's. Otherwise, they will have to look at Kuldeep. The left-arm wristspinner had a tough IPL in 2026 and has since played only one of India's 13 matches since across formats.
Ashwin spoke about Kuldeep's struggle to get game time. "Come [the ODI World Cup in] South Africa, you will need Kuldeep Yadav, Axar Patel and Washy [Sundar]. Both of them [Axar and Washington] got fifties and saw us home [in the first ODI against England]. But I think there is place only for one of the two players in the future. I would love to see Kuldeep handed better treatment because he is a matchwinner."
Kuldeep is among the top 10 wicket-takers for India in ODIs, with 194 from 121 games. At his best, he is able to deceive both edges of the batter, whether they are right- or left-handed but his limitations as a batter has often cost him a place in the side.