Harmanpreet Kaur to lead India against Sri Lanka - Reports

Team India vice-captain Smriti Mandhana has confirmed that captain Harmanpreet Kaur will lead the side against Sri Lanka in their all-important T20 World Cup match. Harmanpreet Kaur, who retired hurt due to neck discomfort during their last match against Pakistan, has recovered and is ready to play as well. However, she had walked off the field while batting on 29 against Pakistan which they won by six wickets.

"She (Harman) is doing fine, and she will be ready for tomorrow's game," Mandhana told reporters on Tuesday.

Concern over Pooja Vastrakar's health

However, concerns are there over the fitness of all-rounder Pooja Vastrakar, who missed the Pakistan game too. Smriti Mandhana gave no definitive update on Vastrakar's health, stating that the medical team is still working on it as well.

"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.

See Also: T20 World Cup 2024: Top 5 captains of the tournament

 

Moreover, Smriti Mandhana also opened up on the challenging playing conditions in the UAE, where the slow wickets made things difficult for batters. She herself has struggled to score so far as well. However, Team India is set to face Sri Lanka on Wednesday, a team that recently beat them in the Asia Cup final. However, Smriti also opened up on the importance of balancing between pushing for a strong run rate and securing wins in challenging conditions as well.

'Run rate definitely was a factor in the last match' - Smriti Mandhana

"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 explained. "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.

"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," Smriti Mandhana concluded.