Gautam Gambhir and Shubman Gill (AFP Photo)

NEW DELHI: Washington Sundar’s decision to walk out to bat despite a visible injury during the first ODI against New Zealand in Vadodara has sparked debate around the Indian team management’s handling of injured players. Sundar was seen limping and struggling to walk but still came out to the middle when India needed support for KL Rahul in a tense chase of 301 runs.The spin-bowling all-rounder was risked despite his fitness concerns, and the move backfired as his injury worsened. Sundar remained unbeaten on 7 off 7 balls in the series opener, playing a supporting role as Rahul guided India to a four-wicket win. However, shortly after the match, Sundar was ruled out of the remainder of the series and was replaced by Ayush Badoni.

Sundar’s appearance at the crease raised several questions, particularly about the Gautam Gambhir-led team management’s approach to player welfare. Among those critical of the decision was former India cricketer Mohammad Kaif, who openly questioned the logic behind sending an injured player into the middle.Kaif pointed out what he described as a double standard, drawing parallels with Shubman Gill’s injury management during the South Africa Test series. He reminded the Indian team management that Gill was rested and not allowed to bat to prevent aggravation of his injury.“You will remember when Shubman Gill was injured, he did not come out to bat in that Test match, the Kolkata Test. It was a high-scoring game and people thought that even 20 or 30 runs from him could help India win, but he still did not bat. That was done to give full protection to the player so the injury would not aggravate. But the same approach was not applied with Sundar. That is why I feel it was a wrong call. KL Rahul’s running between the wickets was affected. Even though India won the match, I feel there were higher chances of aggravating the injury in yesterday’s game,” Kaif said on his YouTube channel.Kaif further explained why sending Sundar in such a situation carried unnecessary risk.“If he is injured and you need runs at a run-a-ball, you should first try someone else. When a player is injured and you send him in under pressure, the injury can worsen. He couldn’t run doubles even though the ball was going to deep point or square leg, and he was only managing singles. Although the required run rate was around a run-a-ball and the match was under control, I felt that sending an injured player was risky. What might have been a one-week or ten-day injury could stretch to 20, 25, or even 30 days,” he added.“I believe that was a wrong call. You could have sent Kuldeep, or anyone else, even Siraj or Prasidh Krishna, if you just needed to play out the run-a-ball situation. Only when it becomes absolutely unavoidable, right at the end, should you send Washington Sundar,” Kaif asserted.Sundar is part of India’s squad for the T20 World Cup 2026, which begins on February 7, making his fitness a key concern going forward.