The Indian cricket team, brimming with ambition to become world champions for the first time, has suffered a devastating blow even before the commencement of their campaign in the Women’s T20 World Cup. Vice-captain and veteran opener Smriti Mandhana has been ruled out of the opening match of the tournament due to an injury.
Team India will face their arch-rival Pakistan in their highly-anticipated first match on Sunday, February 12. Just one day prior to the match, the team's interim coach, Hrishikesh Kanitkar, delivered the shocking news. This match is sure to be an electrifying event, as the two teams battle it out for the ultimate victory.
Smriti Mandhana sustained an injury to her finger during a practice match against Australia prior to the start of the tournament. Unfortunately, she has yet to make a full recovery, and as a result, will be unable to participate in India's opening match of the World Cup against Pakistan in Cape Town on Sunday.
At the Team India press conference on Saturday, February 11, ahead of the match on Sunday, Coach Kanitkar made a disclosure regarding the fitness of two players. Apart from Smriti, who has a finger injury that renders her unable to play, there was also doubt surrounding the fitness of captain Harmanpreet Kaur, who had suffered a shoulder injury during the tri-series a few days prior. However, Coach Kanitkar assured that Harman is fit to play, having batted in the nets for the last two days. He declared, “Harman is fine.”
Smriti's injury is a major setback for Team India, as she is not only India's most prolific batsman, but her performance in major tournaments has been outstanding. Fortunately, it is expected that she will be fit in time for the second match. Kanitkar commented, “Fortunately, there is no fracture and we are optimistic that she will be ready to go for the second match.” Team India will face West Indies in their second match on Wednesday, 15 February.
Team India's vice-captain, Smriti, has played eight T20 matches against Pakistan thus far, amassing 187 runs, including a half-century. Last year, Smriti delivered an outstanding performance of 63 runs against Pakistan during the Commonwealth Games, helping her team to victory.
Indian team squad for T20 World Cup
Harmanpreet Kaur (Captain), Smriti Mandhana, Shafali Verma, Yastika Bhatia, Richa Ghosh, Jemima Rodrigues, Harleen Deol, Deepti Sharma, Devika Vaidya, Radha Yadav, Renuka Thakur, Anjali Sarwani, Pooja Vastrakar, Rajeshwari Gaikwad, Shikha Pandey.
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