Why is Harmanpreet Kaur not playing today's 2024 Women's Asia Cup match against Nepal?
Team India skipper Harmanpreet Kaur did not walk out for the toss in the upcoming final group stage clash against Nepal at the Rangiri Dambulla International Stadium on Tuesday, July 23. She has apparently been rested, with the Women in Blue securing their place in the semi-finals of the competition.
In her absence, vice-captain Smriti Mandhana is leading the team. Team India racked up wins over Pakistan and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) by considerable margins to have both the points and the net run-rate for the semi-finals.
"We'd like to bat first today. In the last few years, T20 cricket has changed. It's a collective effort, we've looked to take on whatever is in our range. The outfields are quick, the tracks are flat, sometimes even 200 isn't enough. We'll look to trust our process and look to bat. 180 will be great, it's about playing one ball at a time. Harman and Pooja are resting," Mandhana said at the toss after opting to bat first.
Harmanpreet Kaur was among the runs in India's recent win over the UAE. She scored an explosive 66 runs off 47 deliveries to help the Women in Blue amass their highest score in the format. They went onto easily defend the 202-run target by securing a 78-run win.
Who has replaced Harmanpreet Kaur in the playing XI for Team India?
Sajeevan Sajana has been named as the skipper's replacement in the playing XI. The all-rounder recently played all of the T20Is against South Africa at home, along with the away series against Bangladesh a few months back after a fruitful Women's Premier League (WPL) campaign for the Mumbai Indians (MI).
The other change in the winning combination for India comes in the form of Arundhati Reddy coming in for fellow pacer Pooja Vastrakar.
India Women (Playing XI): Shafali Verma, Smriti Mandhana(c), Dayalan Hemalatha, Jemimah Rodrigues, Richa Ghosh(w), Deepti Sharma, S Sajana, Radha Yadav, Tanuja Kanwar, Renuka Thakur Singh, and Arundhati Reddy.