"Things don't change much if one replaces 'Fragile' with 'Crumbly'" - Twitterati react to Washington Sundar replacing Deepak Chahar in India's ODI squad

The national selectors named Washington Sundar as Deepak Chahar's replacement in the Indian squad for the last two ODIs against South Africa. This comes on the back of Chahar sitting out of the series opener in Lucknow owing to a stiff back.

It is worth noting that Chahar made a comeback in Zimbabwe a couple of months ago from a long injury layoff that saw him miss the entirety of IPL 2022. After an impressive showing against South Africa in the T20I series, he put himself at the forefront to replace Jasprit Bumrah in the T20 World Cup squad.

However, another setback now means that the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) seamer will head back to the National Cricket Academy in Bengaluru where he will be assessed further. Sundar himself is making a comeback after getting injured while representing Lancashire in the Royal London One-Day Cup in England.

Fans took to Twitter to express their views on this development. While some were happy to see Sundar back in the mix, others expressed their apprehension over him being prone to injuries himself.

Here's a look at some of the reactions:

Things don't change much if one
replaces 'Fragile' with 'Crumbly' twitter.com/BCCI/status/15…

Hope he stays fit and injury free.. He is an asset. twitter.com/BCCI/status/15…

Good replacement, keeping the team balance in mind. Washi is someone you can happily play at 7 or even up the order. The only concern is of the 10 overs needed from him, for which we can play Shahbaz in place of Kishan, with Shahbaz as the 6th bowler.

#Cricket #INDvSAODI twitter.com/BCCI/status/15…

Really hope that now Sundar doesn't get injured or gets Covid or any other fitness issue.

He's had some rotten luck in the last 15 months or so in this regard. twitter.com/BCCI/status/15…

@hemantbuch Good move, and you rate him highly too. Can improve balance, with Washy at 6, and Shahbaz at 8. twitter.com/bcci/status/15…

@BCCI Washington kisiko replace kar raha https://t.co/4RUHiUV76M

And who is going to replace him? twitter.com/BCCI/status/15…

Proper replacement😹 injury merchant for an injury merchant twitter.com/BCCI/status/15…

Washington Sundar replacing another player because of injury sounds like such a rarity. Usually, and frustratingly, it's been the other way round.

One of my favorites -- I hope injuries stay away from Washy for a while now.

@BCCI Daily routine of ICTians: https://t.co/onXjtTDLa8

@BCCI Glass body replaced with glass body

Another shishe ki body vala player 😭 twitter.com/BCCI/status/15…

South Africa lead the 3-match ODI series against India 1-0

A rain-affected game in Lucknow saw South Africa win the 40-over contest by nine runs to take a 1-0 lead in the three-match series. Having scored 249/4 batting first, the visiting bowlers had the Indians batting unit on a leash. Despite stellar half-centuries by Sanju Samson and Shreyas Iyer, the hosts eventually fell short to concede the series lead.

The Shikhar Dhawan-led Indian team will face South Africa in the second ODI at the JSCA International Stadium Complex in Ranchi on Sunday, October 9. It remains to be seen if Sundar is drafted straightaway into the playing XI, keeping in mind the lack of batting depth in the series opener that saw Shardul Thakur bat at No. 7.

Meanwhile, India's T20 World Cup squad led by Rohit Sharma has started its preparations at the WACA Ground in Perth.

Should Washington Sundar slot into India's XI for the 2nd ODI? Let us know what you think in the comments below!