India vs England 2021: Washington Sundar's Injury Creates Dilemma For BCCI Over Sending Backups To UK

The Indian all-rounder Washington Sundar has aggravated his finger injury in the three-day warm-up game becoming the third Indian player to be ruled out of the England series. The number of injuries has certainly worried the BCCI with Shubman Gill and Avesh Khan being the injured players alongside Washington Sundar.

Shubman Gill has returned to India after being ruled out while Avesh Khan picked up an injury in the warm-up game recently. India does have 5 standby players, with almost 21 players still in the UK, but the injuries have become a case for the BCCI to ponder about. With the travel restrictions going on and the quarantine period, BCCI will have a take a decision immediately rather than facing the consequences later.

BCCI Looking To Send Players From The Batch In Sri Lanka

A BCCI official mentioned that there might be a lot of factors to consider while sending players to the UK and they will be seeking if replacements are needed after Washington Sundar’s injury. He added about sending players from the Indian team in Sri Lanka as one of the advantages will be that the quarantine period in India certainly gets reduced as the players have already been taking tests and are under bio bubble.

“We will see if replacements are needed to be sent to England immediately. There are many factors that need to be taken into consideration. Travel restrictions is one such thing. If players are indeed sent then it will be from the batch that is in Sri Lanka at the moment,” a senior BCCI official said.

“The Board Is Figuring Out Logistical Challenges” –  BCCI Official

The BCCI official also mentioned Sri Lanka being on the red list for UK travel and a decision will be made after considering the travel protocols. He stated about the required number was not yet been confirmed with just three players including and added that they are waiting for Sri Lanka to move to the Amber list.

“Sri Lanka is also on the ‘Red List’ for the UK government. The board is figuring out logistical challenges before taking a call. The bubble-to-bubble transfer isn’t possible. Selectors will decide how many players are needed to be sent if the need arises. If Sri Lanka is moved to the ‘Amber List’ next week, then things will get easier,” he added.

The five-match Test series between India and England will start on the 4th of August and will end by the 14th of September.