HIGHLIGHTS

• Sundar has been ruled out of the England tour due to a finger injury
• Sundar is third player after Gill and Avesh to be ruled out of the tour
• Sundar was included in County Select XI’s team for first-class game vs India

The Indian team in England was dealt another injury blow on Thursday after young all-rounder Washington Sundar was ruled out of the five-Test series beginning August 4.

This is the second time that Sundar is returning home from England without playing any international fixture. Notably, Sundar had to return from England due to an ankle injury that he suffered in Ireland in 2018, where India played 2 T20Is before landing in England.

Washington is the third player after Shubman Gill and Avesh Khan to be ruled out of the tour. It has been learned that Washington has fractured a finger after being hit by a Mohammed Siraj delivery on the second day of the first-class warm-up game between India and County XI.

India captain Virat Kohli skipped the match after experiencing stiffness in his back but has resumed batting in the nets. His deputy Ajinkya Rahane also sat out with a swollen hamstring but is expected to be fit for the series opener at Nottingham on Aug. 4. In their absence, Rohit Sharma is leading the tourists against a County Select XI.

It is understood that the short ball from Siraj that accounted for Washington hit his fingers harder than expected and he was in excruciating pain after returning to the pavilion. India are scheduled to take on England in a five-match Test series that gets underway from August 4.

The series will also kickstart the second cycle of the ICC World Test Championship. India have been in the UK since early June and took on New Zealand in the final of the ICC World Test Championship in Southampton, which they lost.