India's vice-captain Smriti Mandhana is likely to miss the opening match of the Women's T20 World Cup against Pakistan on Sunday. Because she is yet to recover from the finger injury she sustained during the practice match. The Indian opener injured a finger on his hand while fielding during Monday's warm-up match against Australia.
Against Australia, the left-handed batsman batted at number three instead of opening. She was able to last only three balls during her innings. As a result, Mandhana missed India's second warm-up match against Bangladesh on Wednesday. Captain Harmanpreet Kaur's health is also under question. He had injured his shoulder during the tri-series championship match against South Africa last week. After the final match, Kaur had said that her health is fine. It would be better to rest.
It should be noted that in the last two years, Mandhana has performed brilliantly in the T20 World Cup. She was the leading run-scorer for India in the 2021 T20 World Cup with an average of 46 and a strike rate of 138. He scored 235 runs in just 5 innings, with his highest score being 83 not out. Similarly, in the 2022 T20 World Cup, Mandhana continued her fine form and was once again one of the standout performers for India.
Mandhana scored 228 runs in only 6 innings at an average of 38 and a strike rate of 144. With his ability to score quick runs, he has given the Indian team the freedom to play freely in the middle order. So Mandhana's absence from the first match against Pakistan could be a big loss for the Indian team. According to the report, if Mandhana does not play in the first match, India will have to replace her with another player.
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