IND vs NZ 2026: Why is Washington Sundar not playing in India vs New Zealand 2nd ODI?

Published - 14 Jan 2026, 13:00 IST | Updated - 14 Jan 2026, 13:26 IST

India is set to lock horns with New Zealand in the second ODI of the three-match series at the Niranjan Shah Stadium in New Rajkot on Wednesday, January 14, 2026. The home team clinched the first ODI with a four-wicket win over the visitors. The night belonged to star batter Virat Kohli, whose 91-ball 93 helped the team to chase the 301-run target in 49 overs. Earlier in the game, India's bowling attack kept on putting New Zealand on the backfoot, making sure they don't score runs comfortably. For the second ODI, India had to make a forced change in the form of Washington Sundar.

The visiting team, New Zealand, won the toss and captain Michael Bracewell elected to bowl first, citing the dew coming in during the second half of the match. The Black Caps made one change to their previous XI, handing Jayden Lennox his debut as he replaced Adithya Ashok.

Meanwhile, the Indian skipper, Shubman Gill, said he would have opted to bat first had he won the toss, stating that the pitch could slow down as the game progresses. India also made a forced change, with Nitish Kumar Reddy coming into the XI in place of the injured Washington Sundar.

India's all-rounder Washington Sundar missed the second ODI against New Zealand after sustaining a rib injury during the series opener in Vadodara. Sundar suffered discomfort in his left lower rib area while bowling and managed to complete only five overs before walking off the field. Despite the pain, he later came out to bat and remained unbeaten as India sealed a narrow four-wicket win. However, subsequent assessments ruled him out of the remainder of the ODI series, with the BCCI confirming that he will undergo further scans and expert evaluation.

As cover, uncapped batter Ayush Badoni was added to the squad for the remaining matches, earning his maiden international call-up. While Badoni replaces Sundar in the squad, Nitish Kumar Reddy replaced Sundar in the playing XI, giving the team a like-for-like all-round option.

Looks a great surface, hope dew comes on. We fought right till the end last game, gave a chance for ourselves a chance to win. Different conditions for us over here, 40000 fans cheering for one team. One change - Lennox is coming in for his debut

Rohit Sharma, Shubman Gill (captain), Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul (wicketkeeper), Ravindra Jadeja, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Harshit Rana, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna

Devon Conway, Henry Nicholls, Will Young, Daryl Mitchell, Glenn Phillips, Mitchell Hay (wicketkeeper), Michael Bracewell (captain), Zakary Foulkes, Kristian Clarke, Kyle Jamieson, Jayden Lennox