Smriti Mandhana Ruled Out Of India's Women's T20 World Cup Opener Against Pakistan

Smriti Mandhana will not play in India's Women's T20 World Cup opener against Pakistan under Harmanpreet Kaur's leadership, according to reports on Saturday. The much-awaited game will take place on Sunday at Newlands in Cape Town. Injuring her left middle finger while fielding during the Monday exhibition game versus Australia, the 26-year-old starter She was hurt during the practise game, "but she might miss the Pakistan game," an ICC source had earlier told news agency PTI. "We can't say she is out of the World Cup yet." Instead of starting at number one against Australia, the southpaw batted at number three. There were only three balls in her inning. Smriti Mandhana, India's deputy captain, will not play in the women's T20 match under Harmanpreet Kaur's leadership. Mandhana did not play in India's upcoming exhibition match against Bangladesh on Wednesday. The health of skipper Harmanpreet Kaur is also under question. She suffered a shoulder injury last week while playing against South Africa in the Tri-Series championship game. The body is healthy. After the match, Kaur had commented, "It will get better with rest." The powerful middle-order hitter, though, did not bat in any of India's exhibition games. In Group B, the "Women in Blue" are grouped with England, Pakistan, the West Indies, and Ireland.