India suffer injury blow as Harmanpreet Kaur does not come out to field in Brisbane

IND-W vs AUS-W, 1st ODI: Harmanpreet Kaur suffered a left knee injury during the first ODI in Brisbane and did not field in the second innings, with Smriti Mandhana stepping in to lead India against Australia.

India captain Harmanpreet Kaur did not take the field during the second innings of the first ODI against Australia in Brisbane after sustaining a knee injury while batting on Tuesday, February 24.

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The Board of Control for Cricket in India confirmed the development in an official statement, adding that the medical team is closely monitoring her condition.

“Captain Harmanpreet Kaur has not taken the field in the second innings after sustaining an injury to her left knee while batting. The BCCI Medical Team is monitoring her progress. Vice-captain Smriti Mandhana is leading the side in her absence,” the statement read.

Harmanpreet had earlier played a crucial hand with the bat, scoring a half-century to help India post a competitive total of 215. On a day when the Indian batting unit struggled to build substantial partnerships, the skipper’s contribution proved vital in steadying the innings.

India endured a shaky start after both openers were unable to set the foundations for a big score. Smriti Mandhana led from the front with the bat before taking over captaincy duties later in the match, scoring 58 runs to anchor the innings. However, Pratika Rawal was dismissed for a two-ball duck, putting early pressure on the middle order.