Team India have to make a forced change to their playing XI for the upcoming third ODI against England after an injury to Washington Sundar. The all-rounder, after apparently aggravating a hamstring injury during the second ODI in Cardiff, has been officially ruled out of the series decider, set to take place at Lord's, on Sunday, July 19.
Given that Washington Sundar plays a vital role in terms of maintaining the balance in the playing XI, as an additional bowling option, and a versatile batting option, the team management have the task of replacing him, keeping the team combination in mind.
On that note, let us take a look at the three ways Team India can replace Washington Sundar in the playing XI for ENG vs IND 2026 3rd ODI
Team India were without their key middle-order batter, KL Rahul, in the second ODI as he was dealing with illness. Although Ishan Kishan came in as a like-for-like replacement, and the team had batting options till No.8, they folded out for 233 in 44 overs after being placed at 178-3 at one stage.
The batting, in general, has been well below standards by Team India on the tour, as the change in conditions, poor adaptability, and equally poor judgment, have all resulted in mediocre or below average outings with the bat.
With Washington Sundar out of the third ODI, Team India are effectively playing with a batter short. Playing with only seven batters when the entire batting unit is quite vulnerable might prove to be a risk.
Furthermore, Lord's has also not been a venue kind for Indian batters as they have had trouble adjusting to the slope. Their last ODI win at the venue came over two decades ago, and their recent losses at the iconic ground, in 2018 and 2022, have been by margins of 86 runs and 100 runs, respectively.
Keeping that in mind, bringing in an extra pure batter in KL Rahul instead of Washington Sundar, and having him alongwith Ishan Kishan to bolster the middle order and the lower middle order might be one of the ways to go about this.
Team India bowled well with five bowling options during the last match, with Shivam Dube stepping up to the plater as well.
The BCCI officially named spin bowling all-rounder Harsh Dubey as Washington Sundar's replacement, and there is a strong chance he could make his way into the playing XI as well directly. Having the youngster will keep Team India's combination intact, where there is batting till No.8 and an extra bowling option to turn to.
While the five-bowler plan worked relatively well in the second ODI as Team India made things difficult for England in the run chase, it is just a contingency plan rather than a rock-solid Plan A. Having only five bowling options, with two of them being all-rounders, is a very risky option, especially when the series is on the line.
Harsh Dubey has had a promising start to his international career, picking up four wickets in two matches during the home ODI series against Afghanistan. Giving him an opportunity at this stage, where there is doubt over Washington Sundar and Ravindra Jadeja's future, could be a good option from the long-term point of view.
Team India's lack of potency in the middle overs with the ball was a concern going into the series, and the issue is far from resolved, especially without a genuine attacking wicket-taking bowler in the side. Skipper Shubman Gill has had to bring back Jasprit Bumrah into the attack in hopes of a breakthrough with the other bowlers, especially the all-rounders, being quite defensive options.
The lack of impact in the middle overs has allowed the opposition to repair the innings after setbacks, and this is an area India have not been able to capitalise on.
Having Kuldeep Yadav in the side gives Shubman Gill an option to turn to in the middle overs, Otherwise, the opposition batters have often negotiated the bowlers other than Jasprit Bumrah with the spread out field and build partnerships without much pressure.
Kuldeep Yadav's variations, his tendency to invite batters into making a mistake, and general record in England, makes him a safe option to be part of the bowling unit. However, with the left-arm wrist spinner coming in place of Washington Sundar instead of a frontline bowler, it will naturally have an impact on the batting depth.
Having Axar Patel or Shivam Dube at No.7 without Washington Sundar for cover will give India a very long tail. But on the other hand, having Kuldeep Yadav's wicket-taking ability might also mean that some runs might be shaved off England's total.
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