Shubman Gill, Gautam Gambhir Given Out-Of-The-Box Suggestion As Washington Sundar's Replacement In 2nd ODI

All-rounder Washington Sundar's injury has provided a selection headache for India captain Shubman Gill and head coach Gautam Gambhir ahead of their second ODI against New Zealand in Rajkot. 26-year-old batting all-rounder Ayush Badoni has been brought in as Washington's replacement despite never having played international cricket in any format previously. However, former India cricketer Mohammad Kaif made an out-of-the-box suggestion, stating that pacer Arshdeep Singh could be Washington's replacement, a move which would allow India to go ahead with four pacers.

"I would want Arshdeep Singh to get a chance," Kaif said, speaking on his YouTube channel. "I feel if you also push Arshdeep Singh, having four fast bowlers and batting up to No. 7, it won't be a bad option on a good pitch," he added.

Kaif advised that it would be better for Ayush Badoni to get a feel of international cricket from the sidelines, rather than being rushed into a game immediately.

"If you want to go like-for-like, then there is Ayush Badoni. After that, who is left in the squad? I feel maybe you would want Ayush to sit and let him see how people play at the international level. It would be good for him, just to see how players approach games at the international stage," Kaif said.

However, Kaif also acknowledged India's need of batting depth.

"The main problem will be that this India team needs batting up to No. 8. Ashdeep Singh does not contribute with the bat, so in that case, you would want an all-rounder," he said.

Another viable option for Team India is seam-bowling all-rounder Nitish Kumar Reddy. If Reddy is included, India would have only two spin-bowling options in Ravindra Jadeja and Kuldeep Yadav. 22-year-old Reddy has played only two ODIs so far in his career.

India will wrap up the ODI series victory if they win the second match against New Zealand.

Topics mentioned in this article

India Cricket Team Shubman Gill Gautam Gambhir Ayush Badoni Washington Sundar Arshdeep Singh India vs New Zealand 2026 Cricket