Deepti Sharma Confirms Harmanpreet Kaur's Fitness Ahead of Second ODI Against Australia
Update on Harmanpreet Kaur's Fitness
Deepti Sharma, an all-rounder for the Indian Women's cricket team, has reassured fans about skipper Harmanpreet Kaur's condition, stating, "she is fit and fine" as the team prepares for the second ODI against Australia Women, scheduled for Friday at Bellerive Oval in Hobart.
Injury Details and First ODI Summary
During the first ODI held at Allan Border Field in Brisbane, Harmanpreet Singh suffered a knee injury while batting, which prevented her from participating in the second innings.
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) reported on X that Harmanpreet injured her left knee while at the crease, and her recovery is being closely monitored by the medical staff. In her absence, vice-captain Smriti Mandhana led the team.
In a pre-match press conference, Deepti Sharma addressed Harmanpreet's injury, confirming, "I can say that she is fit and fine."
Team's Determination to Recover
In the first ODI, India Women faced a six-wicket defeat, scoring 214 runs in 48.3 overs, while Australia Women successfully chased the target in just 38.2 overs.
Reflecting on the match, Deepti expressed that the team performed well despite the loss and is eager to come back stronger in the next game. She stated, "As a team, we played really good. But, obviously, the result has not come in our way. But, obviously, we are looking forward as a team and we will come back stronger in the next game."
Deepti added, "Personally, I'm always confident with them whenever we play. We want to play our good and best cricket in the next game."
T20I Strategy for Upcoming Matches
Prior to the ODI series, India secured a 2-1 victory in a three-match T20I series. Deepti highlighted the team's strong performance in both batting and bowling during the T20Is and emphasized their intention to maintain that momentum in the remaining ODIs and the upcoming Test match, which is set to commence on March 6.
"In the T20Is, we played really good as a team, whether it's the bowling unit or the batting unit. The rest of the matches, as well, we are focusing on the same approach, like how we did in the T20Is. But, obviously, we'll focus on how we'll keep getting better in every match and in the coming Test," Deepti remarked.