Harmanpreet to be assessed and monitored ahead of the Bristol T20I

Cliff Notes – Harmanpreet to be assessed and monitored ahead of the Bristol T20I

• India captain Harmanpreet Kaur returned to training after missing the first T20I due to a head injury sustained in a warm-up match.
• Smriti Mandhana, who captained in Harmanpreet’s absence, scored her maiden T20I century, leading India to a 1-0 series lead.
• Mandhana is set to play her 150th T20I, becoming only the second Indian woman to reach this milestone.

Harmanpreet to be ‘assessed and monitored’ ahead of the Bristol T20I

India captain Harmanpreet Kaur returned to training on the eve of the second T20I against England, to be played in Bristol on Tuesday. She had suffered a head injury after getting hit in the T20 warm-up match against ECB Development XI last week and missed the opening game of the five-match series as a precaution. India will take a call on Harmanpreet’s participation on match day.

“There are positive signs, she [Harmanpreet] has joined the practice session today,” offspin-bowling allrounder Sneh Rana said on Monday. “She will be assessed and monitored post the practice session.”

While it is not clear how or when Harmanpreet suffered the head injury in that game, she scored 28 off 16 with four fours before being trapped lbw by legspinner Sarah Glenn as India fell short of their 195-run target by six runs. Following that, she did not address the pre-series press conference and went on to miss the first T20I in Nottingham, which India won by 97 runs.

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In her stead, Smriti Mandhana stood in as captain and scored her maiden T20I century, helping India take a 1-0 lead. She became the first India woman, and only the fifth overall, to hit a century in all three formats of international cricket. She said later that she had been told she would be leading the side only hours before the match but that she “had a 50-50 idea” and was ready for it.

On Tuesday in Bristol, Mandhana will add another feather to her cap when she becomes only the second India player – and seventh overall – to play 150 women’s T20Is. Harmanpreet leads the pack with 178, the most T20Is across genders.

“It’s a special occasion for her and the Indian team,” Rana said of Mandhana’s feat. “We are grateful to have her in the team.” Rana herself made her T20I comeback in Nottingham for her first match since the 2023 T20 World Cup.

After the Bristol T20I, England and India will play at The Oval (July 4), Manchester (July 9) and Birmingham (July 12) before heading into the three-match ODI series.