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Why Is Washington Sundar Not in India Playing XI Tonight For IND vs ZIM T20 World Cup 2026 Super 8s Clash?

Amogh Bodas

The all-rounder from Tamil Nadu has played in just two matches in the tournament.

With South Africa winning the all-important battle against the West Indies, the Indians now have a clear equation in front of them. Winning both fixtures – against Zimbabwe and the Windies will see them through to the semi-finals. However, the Blues made two changes to their squad for the match against Zimbabwe, with Washington Sundar left benched.

The all-rounder from Tamil Nadu played in two out of the five matches played by the Indians so far. To add to that, he was unable to produce any significant results in those matches. He was sent out to bat at No.5 in the game against South Africa, which was not a position completely in his favour.

Why Benching Washington Sundar Made Sense

The Gujarat Titans (GT) all-rounder was not the perfect fit for the Indians ahead of Axar Patel, probably because of the experience and skill that the latter brings to the table. Washington Sundar was not being utilised properly in either of the matches he played in, which was one of the factors for the change in the Indian line-up.

One of the main reasons he was included in the XI against South Africa was to counter the left-handed batters. However, he was never introduced in the powerplay because the fast bowlers got rid of both the openers in quick succession. India will have to be careful of the playing XI that they select in the tournament from here on, with each game being a knockout.

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IND vs ZIM Playing XIs

India: Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson (wk), Ishan Kishan, Suryakumar Yadav (capt), Tilak Varma, Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dube, Axar Patel, Arshdeep Singh, Varun Chakravarthy, Jasprit Bumrah

Zimbabwe: Tadiwanashe Marumani (wk), Brian Bennett, Dion Myers, Ryan Burl, Sikandar Raza (capt), Tony Munyonga, Tashinga Musekiwa, Brad Evans, Tinotenda Maposa, Blessing Muzarabani, Richard Ngarava

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