"I think he missed the bus just because he was injured" - Aakash Chopra believes Washington Sundar not part of T20 World Cup 2022 squad solely due to injuries 

Former India batter Aakash Chopra feels that Washington Sundar missed out on the T20 World Cup 2022 squad due to his injury setbacks.

The spin-bowling all-rounder has been a victim of recurring injuries, hampering his chances of cementing a place in the squad across formats.

Drafted into the ODI squad as an injury replacement for Deepak Chahar, the Tamil Nadu-born cricketer had a fruitful series with the ball against South Africa.

He claimed three wickets in the rubber and was particularly effective in the third ODI with figures of 2-15, setting the platform for a seven-wicket win on Tuesday, October 11.

Opining that Sundar arguably ranks above Ravichandran Ashwin in the pecking order when it comes to white-ball cricket, Chopra said on his YouTube channel:

"Now had Washington Sundar remained fit, without any injuries in the last 10 months or so, he would have been part of the T20 World Cup squad."

Chopra added:

"He brings more to the table in white ball cricket than R Ashwin. I think he missed the bus just because he was injured."

In a year where India played as many as 31 T20Is, Sundar failed to feature in any one of them. He last represented his country in the shortest format back in March 2021 against England.

Sundar suffered a host of injuries in 2022, with the most recent being a shoulder problem sustained during his county stint with Lancashire. The setback cost him a place in the Indian squad for the Zimbabwe tour, with Shahbaz Ahmed replacing him.

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"Siraj was rightly adjudged the Player of the Series" - Aakash Chopra

Mohammed Siraj continued to make a strong case for himself in the 50-over format with yet another impactful set of outings against South Africa.

The right-arm pacer was adjudged Player of the Series for his exploits against the Proteas as he claimed five wickets at an economy rate of 4.5. Indian batter Shreyas Iyer was also in fine form, smashing 191 runs, including a century, at a strike rate of 120.

Opining that Siraj receiving the accolade over Shreyas was the right call, Chopra said:

"Shahbaz Ahmed bowled with more flight here as compared to Ranchi. Siraj was rightly adjudged the Player of the Series. I think he has done very well. Another contender I think was Shreyas Iyer, but I will go with Siraj."

Siraj remains in contention to make it to the T20 World Cup 2022 in Australia on account of Jasprit Bumrah's injury.

Would Washington Sundar have made it into the T20 World Cup 2022 squad had he not been injured? Let us know what you think.