Prior to the first Twenty20 International match versus England Women, Harmanpreet Kaur, the captain of the Indian women’s team, did not attend the pre-match news conference. Smriti Mandhana, the vice captain, faced the media in Harmanpreet’s place.
Smriti revealed that Harmanpreet Kaur was unable to attend because she wasn’t feeling well.
When questioned about the former’s involvement in the inaugural T20I, she remained subtly hopeful.
She’s just not feeling good today, but I don’t think she’s not playing. During the pre-match press conference, Smriti said, “I am here just filling up (for Harmanpreet Kaur) today,” as reported by News18.
She seems satisfied with the team’s training at the National Cricket Academy in Bengaluru before to their flight to the UK.
“The last 25 days of preparation have been good. In light of this tour and the World Cup, we also organised a very focused and specific batters’ and bowlers’ camp at NCA,” Smriti continued.
The series has been well-prepared for. Smriti Mandana also mentioned the benefits of arriving in England early to acclimatise to the English environment, calling it one of the most crucial elements.
“We arrived here earlier, and after a solid eight days of preparation and a few productive practice games, we learnt a lot about the circumstances in England. For many of the females in particular, this is their first tour of England, therefore it was crucial that they arrive early and adjust to the surroundings. “There has been good preparation for the series,” she said.
India Women will meet the Nat Sciver-Brunt-led team in three ODIs after five T20Is. The goal of this white-ball series is to give the players, the majority of whom will be in the squad for the Women’s ODI World Cup, which will take place later this year from September to November, the perfect amount of playing time.
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