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The Women in Blue will be back in action as they take on Sri Lanka Women in their third Group A fixture of Women’s T20 World Cup 2024. The match is scheduled to be played on Wednesday, October 9 at the Dubai International Stadium in Dubai. While the Women’s Asia Cup champions, Sri Lanka are virtually out of the semi-final race of the marquee tournament, the Harmanpreet Kaur-led Team India still have their chances to progress further into the competition.
Ahead of this must-win game against Sri Lanka Women, vice-captain, Smriti Mandhana provided a big and positive update on skipper, Harmanpreet Kaur. It is to be noted that the Indian skipper was forced to walk off the field in their match against Pakistan Women when they needed only two runs to win. Harmanpreet, who was batting at 29 was retired hurt due to a neck discomfort, with S Sajana replacing her at the crease and hitting the winning runs.
Mandhana, who stood up for Harmanpreet Kaur in the post-match presentation, however earlier refrained from sharing an update, but on the eve of the match against Sri Lanka Women, the top-order batter confirmed that Harmanpreet is fit and ready to play. “She (Harman) is doing fine, and she will be ready for tomorrow’s game,” Mandhana told PTI.
I think the medical team is still working on her: Smriti Mandhana on Pooja Vastrakar
The 28-year-old batter also opened up on concerns lingers around all-rounder Pooja Vastrakar, who missed the crucial match against Pakistan Women. Although, the top-order batter didn’t provide a definitive update, adding that the medical team is continuously working on her. "Pooja, I think the medical team is still working on her. So, the update will come only tomorrow during the match. But yeah, I don't think I can say anything at the moment," Mandhana said.
The India Women vice-captain also spoke of the team’s intent going into another do-or-die fixture with their future handing in balance. "It (run rate) definitely was a factor in the last match, but as I said, the conditions are a lot different to what you expect as a batter. You are probably thinking to get that run rate high, but you have to win the match first—that’s the priority for us," Mandhana asserted.
"So, it's about balancing what's best for the team. In the last match, I started fine but then later on I consumed a few dot balls, which was a little irritating for me," she added.
