Visakhapatnam, Jan 28 (IANS) In what comes as an encouraging development for India ahead of next month’s T20 World Cup, off-spin bowling all-rounder Washington Sundar has resumed batting in the nets as part of his rehabilitation from a rib injury at the BCCI Centre of Excellence (CoE) in Bengaluru.
“Yes, Washington has resumed batting, but at a very low intensity. He batted for a bit and that is very encouraging. The little bit of discomfort around ribs will be there initially because he hasn't done anything for some time now. He should be okay as he now will gradually move ahead in his path to total recovery,” said a source aware of the development to IANS on Wednesday.
Sundar, 26, has been sidelined since suffering acute discomfort in his lower rib area while bowling during the first ODI against New Zealand at the BCA Stadium in Vadodara, on January 11 and was ruled out of the rest of the 50-over games, as well as the ongoing T20I series.
Shortly after being ruled out with side strain, Sundar consulted orthopedic surgeon Dr Dinshaw Pardiwala, Head – Centre for Sports Medicine and Director - Arthroscopy and Shoulder Service at the Kokilaben Dhirubhai Ambani Hospital in Mumbai. After resting at his residence in Chennai, Sundar checked into the CoE on January 20 for kickstarting his rehab programme.
It is expected that Washington’s workload in skill training will be increased gradually, though patience will also be showcased considering that he’s a vital cog in India’s wheel for their T20 World Cup title defence on home soil.
At the same time, there is no update yet on when Washington will start to bowl. Washington has played 58 T20Is for India since debuting in 2017, picking 51 wickets at an economy rate of 6.91 while amassing 254 runs at a strike-rate of 134.39.
--IANS
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