India's Sundar ruled out of NZ T20I series due to side strain ahead of World Cup

The injury has occurred weeks before India begin their World Cup title defence

Washington Sundar has been ruled out of India's five-match Twenty20 international series against New Zealand, the country's cricket board (BCCI) said on Friday, with the all-rounder facing a race against time to be fit for their World Cup title defence.

Sundar complained of rib discomfort while bowling in a one-day international against New Zealand last week and was subsequently ruled out of the ODI series.

"Washington Sundar underwent scans after reporting an acute onset discomfort in his lower rib area while bowling during the first ODI...," the BCCI added.

"This was followed by an in-person consultation with an expert. He has been diagnosed with a side strain and has been advised rest for a few days, following which he will report to the BCCI Centre of Excellence for further management of his injury.

"The men's selection committee has named Ravi Bishnoi as his replacement. The men's selection committee has also added Shreyas Iyer to the T20I squad for the first three matches as a replacement for the injured Tilak Varma."

Spin-bowling all-rounder Sundar was named as part of a 15-man squad for the World Cup last month.

The Jan 21-31 series against New Zealand is a key part of India's preparations for the biennial tournament, which begins on Feb 7 and will be co-hosted by India and Sri Lanka.

India are in Group A of the World Cup. They play their first match against the United States on Feb 7, before taking on Namibia, Pakistan and the Netherlands.