Washington ruled out of New Zealand T20Is as well

Washington is recovering from the side strain he suffered during the first ODI

Indian allrounder Washington Sundar has been ruled out of the five-match T20I series against New Zealand. The series, which will be played between January 21-31, is part of India's preparation for the T20 World Cup, which starts on February 7. It is understood Washington is recovering from the side strain he suffered during the first ODI against New Zealand in Vadodara last week.

There is no confirmation yet on whether the injury, which the BCCI described as "acute onset discomfort in his left lower rib", could impact his participation in the T20 World Cup. India play their first match on the opening day on February 7 against USA in Mumbai. The selectors picked Delhi batting allrounder Ayush Badoni as Washington's replacement for the ODI series. Whether Badoni will be added to the T20I squad is yet to be confirmed.RelatedBadoni replaces injured Washington in India squad for NZ ODIs

India will not be overly concerned about Washington's absence for the NZ T20Is with several allrounders joining the squad next week. The list includes Hardik Pandya, Axar Patel (who is also the vice-captain for the T20 World Cup and the NZ T20Is), Abhishek Sharma and Shivam Dube.

Apart from Washington, Tilak Varma is also unavailable for the first three T20Is after undergoing surgery for a groin injury.

India's squad for NZ T20Is

Suryakumar Yadav (capt), Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson (wk), Tilak Varma (unavailable for first three games), Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dube, Axar Patel (vice-capt), Rinku Singh, Jasprit Bumrah, Harshit Rana, Arshdeep Singh, Kuldeep Yadav, Varun Chakaravarthy, Washington Sundar, Ishan Kishan (wk)