Harmanpreet Kaur injured - (Source: AFP)
In the first ODI between India women and Australia women at the Allan Border Field in Brisbane, the visitors dealt a heavy blow as their skipper, Harmanpreet Kaur, suffered an injury. Notably, the right-handed batter struggled with a knee issue and did not take the field in the second innings.
The fans noticed Harmanpreet’s absence in the second innings, which is when the board issued an update on the 36-year-old, stating that she would not take the field in the second innings.
“Captain Harmanpreet Kaur has not taken the field in the second innings after sustaining injury to her left knee while batting. BCCI Medical Team is monitoring her progress. Vice-captain Smriti Mandhana is leading the side in her absence,” remarked BCCI.
Smriti Mandhana Leads The Team In Kaur's Absence
The BCCI also issued an update that Smriti Mandhana will lead the side. For the unversed, Mandhana has led India in four ODIs and the team have never lost in her captaincy. Talking about the ongoing match, at the time of writing this article, India are close to a defeat as Australia are 154/3 while chasing just 215 runs.
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Mandhana had a great day with the bat as the southpaw scored a brilliant 58 (68), which featured seven fours. The extend of Harmanpreet's injury is unknown, but if she misses the next game, then Mandhana will lead the side.
Smriti had a great campaign with RCB recently, where she led her side to their second WPL title. Therefore, the BCCI has a great trust in Mandhana and hand over the leadership duties to her only in Kaur's absence.
Harmanpreet Kaur Shines With Fifty Despite Knee Struggle
It is still unknown the exact moment where Kaur felt the pain or got injured, but despite the struggle, she scored a brilliant fifty to help India put 200 runs on the board. Notably, the 36-year-old was India's second best batter after Smriti Mandhana and amassed 53 (84), which featured just three boundaries.
It is a big blow for India because Kaur was fresh off a brilliant captaincy stint. Before the ODIs, India featured in a three-match T20I series against the Women in Yellow, where the visitors scripted history and beat Australia in Australia. It was a special moment of pride for Harmanpreet Kaur, which is why she would be gutted to miss out in the ODIs because of injury.
Harmanpreet Kaur and her tryst with injuries
In the past 12-14 months, Kaur has struggled with her fitness. For the unversed, Kaur missed couple of T20Is against West Indies in December 2024 because of injury issues.
“I should give credit to our physio team, they've been working really hard. I've been struggling with the knee for 3-4 months, big thanks to them for getting me fit,” Kaur herself opened up her injury struggles.
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