Washington Sundar, the Indian all-rounder, will be replacing Deepak Chahar in the next two ODIs in the ongoing series against South Africa.
Chahar picked up back stiffness after the third and final T20I against South Africa in Indore on October 4. Although he was included in the ODI squad initially, he did not play in the first ODI in Lucknow on Thursday, October 6.
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The BCCI released a statement on Saturday confirming that Chahar will not play in the upcoming matches against South Africa. The statement also said that he will be monitored and treated by a team of medical experts at the National Cricket Academy in Bengaluru.
”The All-India Senior Selection Committee named Washington Sundar as a replacement for Deepak Chahar for the remainder of the ODI series against South Africa,” the BCCI statement said.
“Mr. Chahar had a stiffness in his back after the third and final T20I against South Africa in Indore and did not feature in India’s Playing XI in the first ODI in Lucknow. He will now head back to the National Cricket Academy (NCA) and will be monitored by the Medical Team there.”
The loss of Chahar will be a big blow to Men in Blue, having lost the first ODI in Lucknow. Chahar is the second first bowler to depart from the squad after it was earlier announced that Jasprim Bumrah would also be leaving.
Bumrah, who is suffering from a knee injury, has been ruled out of the ICC Men’s T20 Worldcup later this month.
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Much like Bumrah, Chahar’s injury is also a recurring one. He first picked up the back injury during IPL 2022 and had to cricket altogether for the next four months.
Indian all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja, who was injured during the Asia Cup, along with Bumrah and Chahar, will not be available for team India in their upcoming fixtures.
The next match in the South Africa series is on Sunday at Ranchi. It will be followed by another in New Delhi on Tuesday.
