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.
In a notable tactical move, Shafali Verma was promoted to No. 3 in the batting order. The aggressive opener, however, could not capitalise on the opportunity and fell cheaply, leaving India searching for stability in the middle overs.
There were valuable contributions down the order, with Kashvee Gautam playing a brisk knock of 43 off 44 deliveries. Her innings provided much-needed momentum as India attempted to push towards a defendable total. Despite these efforts, the visitors were bowled out with nine balls remaining in their innings.
Australia’s bowling attack maintained consistent pressure throughout. Ashleigh Gardner emerged as the standout performer with figures of 3 for 33 in her seven overs, breaking key partnerships and restricting India’s scoring rate at crucial stages.
With Harmanpreet’s fitness now under observation, India will hope for a positive update ahead of the remainder of the series, as they look to regroup and respond strongly against a formidable Australian side.
