Axar Patel ruled out of Asia Cup final against Sri Lanka; Washington Sundar replaces him in the Indian squad
Team India bowling all-rounder Axar Patel has been ruled out of the Asia Cup final match against Sri Lanka on Sunday (September 17).
Tamil Nadu off-spinner Washington Sundar earned a call-up and has replaced him in the squad ahead of the game.
Axar Patel suffered a quadricep injury while batting during the chase against Bangladesh. He batted through pain and fought valiantly by scoring 42 (34) to keep India in the hunt.
However, Axar could not finish the job as he perished in the penultimate over trying a big hit. India eventually lost the match narrowly by six runs.
Ahead of the Asia Cup final on Sunday, BCCI gave an official update about Axar Patel's fitness. Their media release read:
"Mr. Axar Patel has been ruled out of the Asia Cup final against Sri Lanka due to a left quadriceps strain sustained during Super Four match against Bangladesh on Friday. The Men’s Selection Committee has named Mr Washington Sundar as a replacement. The all-rounder arrived in Colombo this evening and has joined the squad."
Squad for Asia Cup final against Sri Lanka: Rohit Sharma (Captain), Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, Suryakumar Yadav, Tilak Varma, KL Rahul (wicket-keeper), Ishan Kishan (wicket-keeper), Hardik Pandya (VC), Ravindra Jadeja, Shardul Thakur, Kuldeep Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohd. Shami, Mohd. Siraj, Prasidh Krishna, Washington Sundar
"There can be a wildcard entry"- Aakash Chopra on possibility of Washington Sundar getting into the Indian World Cup squad
Former Indian opener Aakash Chopra recently shed light on having variety in the bowling attack and opined that off-spinner Washington Sundar could be a late wild-card pick in the World Cup squad. In a video on his YouTube channel, Chopra said:
"If he picks up wickets with his off-spin and scores runs whenever he gets to bat, although he might not get batting here - if all of that happens, then Washington Sundar - tempting option. There is no off-spinner in the team. So this could be a change, there can be a wildcard entry."
Do you think Sundar should be considered for the World Cup? Let us know in the comments section.