Massive Blow To India! Skipper Unwell Ahead Of Nottingham Match Vs England

News18

18 hours ago

Harmanpreet Kaur missed the pre-match press conference due to illness.
Indian women's team captain Harmanpreet Kaur on Friday missed the pre-match press conference ahead of the first T20I against England, as Smriti Mandhana confirmed that the former was unwell and hence couldn't attend the media interaction, adding that she might be available for the game.
Mandhana said that she was just filling in for Harmanpreet, who wasn't well enough to attend the pre-match PC and expressed confidence that the latter will be available for the game.
This will be Harmanpreet's first T20I this year. She scored 394 runs in 15 T20Is last year, at an average of 43.77.
Beckenham 🚌 Nottingham #TeamIndia have arrived for the T20I series opener against England women 🙌 #ENGvIND pic.twitter.com/yLWebAvkDg — BCCI Women (@BCCIWomen) June 27, 2025
'I don't think she's not playing; she's just unwell today. I am here just filling up (for Harmanpreet) today," Mandhana said while speaking at the pre-match press conference.
Mandhana expressed confidence in the team's preparation after a 25-day camp in Bengaluru, which she said was targeted to prepare the cricketers for the England tour and the ODI World Cup in September.
While India will host the tournament from September 30 to November 2, they will first take on England in a five-match T20I series, followed by three ODIs over the next few weeks.
'It's been a good 25 days of prep. We had batters and bowlers' camp at NCA, and that was also very targeted and very specific, keeping in mind this tour and the World Cup," Mandhana said.
The star Indian batter said that coming to England with ample amount of time has helped them prepare better.
'We came in earlier here, a good eight days of prep, a few good practice matches (in which) we got to know a lot of things about England's conditions," Mandhana said.
'… Especially a lot of girls, it's their first England tour, so it was important for them to come here early and get used to the conditions. The preparation has been good leading up to the series," Mandhana added.
While the focus will be on how the side fares in ODI format, given the tournament in September, Mandhana acknowledged that the five T20Is will provide her side an opportunity to assess their game in these conditions.