Washington Sundar added to India’s squad following an injury to Axar Patel

Spin bowling all-rounder Washington Sundar has been added to India’s Asia Cup squad following a quadricep strain which Axar Patel suffered during India’s last match of the Super Four stage against Bangladesh. The left-arm spinner was also hit on the forearm by a throw from a Bangladeshi fielder.

It was the second successive injury to Axar as he had injured his hand in an attempt to make his ground when he missed a ball which was fired down the leg side. Sundar who reached Colombo on Saturday afternoon is expected to replace Axar in the playing eleven considering the pitch might assist the spinners in the final.

Unexpected Call-Up

Sundar’s inclusion might be a blessing in disguise for the Men in Blue as it will fill the void of an off-spinner in the squad but it will be interesting to see if Sundar gets a chance in the World Cup squad as Axar is expected to be fit for the mega event and with the former being a part of the Asian Games squad the chance of him getting picked for the World Cup is highly unlikely.

Axar managed to score 42 runs off 34 deliveries, including three fours and two sixes. He was also involved in two substantial partnerships, first with Shubman Gill (39 runs for the seventh wicket) and later with Shardul Thakur (40 runs for the eighth wicket), which kept India’s hopes of winning the game alive. However, those hopes dwindled once he was dismissed in the penultimate over. 

Multiple Injuries

Meanwhile, Sri Lanka has also been dealt with a major blow before the final as it was confirmed that the team’s leading spinner Maheesh Theekshana has been ruled out of the title clash against India on Sunday. He strained his right hamstring during the game against Pakistan. Sri Lanka Cricket selectors have named Sahan Arachchige as Theekshana’s replacement. Theekshana will return to the High-Performance Center to commence rehabilitation work. 

Both teams will look to add one more title to their tally. Interestingly while Sri Lanka is the defending champion of the tournament India won the Asia Cup when it was played in fifty over format last time in 2018