The Gautam Gambhir-led Indian team management has come under fire for allegedly mishandling Washington Sundar’s injury during the first ODI against New Zealand in Vadodara. Sundar, visibly in discomfort, was sent out to bat despite carrying a hamstring strain, prompting former India cricketer Mohammad Kaif to accuse the management of double standards in player protection — reminding them how Shubman Gill was earlier shielded from aggravating an injury in similar circumstances.

“Gill was protected — Sundar wasn’t,” says Kaif

Kaif, in a video on his YouTube channel, criticised Gambhir and the team’s handling of the situation, calling it a “wrong call” to send Sundar out in a match India was already in control of.

“You will remember when Shubman Gill was injured, he did not come out to bat in that Test match, the Kolkata Test. It was a high-scoring game, and people thought that even 20 or 30 runs from him could help India win, but he still did not bat. That was done to protect the player so the injury would not aggravate,” Kaif recalled.

“But the same approach was not applied with Washington Sundar. That is why I feel it was a wrong call,” Kaif said.

Sundar came out to bat late in India’s chase of 301, remaining unbeaten on 7 off 7 balls, as KL Rahul guided India to victory. However, shortly after the match, the all-rounder was ruled out of the series and replaced by Ayush Badoni, confirming fears that his injury might have worsened.

“Sending him to bat was risky”

Kaif warned that the decision could prolong Sundar’s injury layoff, stressing that precaution should always outweigh short-term gain.

“If he is injured and you need runs at a run-a-ball, you should first try someone else. When a player is injured and you send him in under pressure, the injury can worsen,” Kaif said. “He couldn’t run doubles even though the ball was going to deep point or square leg, and he was only managing singles. Although the required run rate was around a run-a-ball and the match was under control, I felt that sending an injured player was risky.”

Kaif explained that a minor injury could have been extended significantly due to physical strain.

“What might have been a one-week or ten-day injury could stretch to 20, 25, or even 30 days,” he pointed out.

“You had other options”

Kaif further emphasised that with multiple other options available in the lower order, there was no need to risk an injured Sundar.

“I believe that was a wrong call. You could have sent Kuldeep Yadav, or anyone else, even Mohammed Siraj or Prasidh Krishna, if you just needed to play out a run-a-ball situation. Only when it becomes absolutely unavoidable, right at the end, should you send Washington Sundar,” he asserted.

Though India won the match, the criticism has sparked a debate about player management under Gambhir, particularly around balancing winning situations with long-term player welfare. The incident follows earlier questions raised by pundits over injury risks and workload management in the new coaching setup.