India were hit with a major injury scare during their victory against Pakistan in the Women's T20 World Cup 2024 after captain Harmanpreet Kaur suffered a freak neck injury while attempting to save herself from getting stumped out and had to retire hurt after making 29 runs in 24 balls.
Since then, the Indian captain's fitness had remained a mystery ahead of the must-win clash against Sri Lanka on Wendesday (October 9) at the Dubai International Stadium. However, Women in Blue vice-captain Smriti Mandhana has broken her silence and revealed that Harmanpreet will return to lead the team against Sri Lanka.
"She (Harman) is doing fine and she will be fine for tomorrow," said Mandhana in the pre-match press conference.
However, that is not the end of fitness worries for Team India as Mandhana revealed that star all-rounder Pooja Vastrakar remains doubtful. Vastrakar missed the game against Pakistan due to an injury and she could miss the match against Sri Lanka too.
"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," said Mandhana.
Smriti Mandhana Defends India's Approach Against Pakistan
Despite the six-wicket win over Pakistan, India were widely criticised for their approach in the run-chase. The Women in Blue chase down the total of 106 with just seven balls left. The 2020 runner's-up failed to increase their Net Run Rate (NRR) which took a heavy blow after a loss of 59 runs to New Zealand and has put them on the brink of elimination.
However, Mandhana defended India's approach and claimed the conditions made it difficult to bat aggresively.
"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.
"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," said Mandhana.
"The wicket and ground conditions are a lot different from what we expected when we came here. That’s a big factor in deciding the batting order. The low-scoring nature of the tournament has added to the complexity. Except for the New Zealand match, we haven't seen any team go over 140 runs in the whole tournament, whether it’s a day or night game. That says a lot about the conditions," Mandhana added.
Mandhana has struggled with the bat so far with 19 runs in two matches. India's chances of reaching the semi-final have been boosted after New Zealand's NRR took a major dip after a 60-run defeat to Australia.
After the game against Sri Lanka, India will face Australia on Sunday (October 13) at Sharjah.