Mumbai, May 2 (IANS) India skipper Harmanpreet Kaur conceded that Amanjot Kaur’s absence due to a back injury has left a major void in the squad for the upcoming Women’s T20 World Cup, to be played from June 12 to July 5 in England, but expressed confidence that Bharti Fulmali and Radha Yadav will step up with positive intent.
Seam-bowling all-rounder Amanjot has been sidelined for the next four to five months due to a back injury, which also kept her out of the 4-1 T20I series loss in South Africa last month. “Amanjot was our key player. Unfortunately, she is not available. She is away from cricket for the next four to five months now.
“In place of her, it was very difficult to find someone like her who can fulfil that place,” said Harmanpreet in the press conference after the squad, which will also play three T20Is against England from May 28 to June 2, was announced at the BCCI HQ.
Bharti, meanwhile, was retained in the side after getting two chances in South Africa, where she scored 40 and 2. Radha, meanwhile, had good all-round performances this year in various competitions and returns to the T20I set-up for the first time after last year’s series in England.
Radha has played 89 T20Is and has taken 103 wickets since her debut in 2018, and is now set to play her fifth T20 World Cup. Her return to the squad has been delayed by injuries to Amanjot and Kashvee Gautam, who will undergo surgery for a serious right knee injury.
“But still, we are trying – Bharti, whatever opportunity she got, she tried to prove herself. We have got Radha back in the side because she is also an all‑rounder who can contribute with bat, ball, and field.
“So, Amanjot’s replacement was very hard to find. But now, like whatever players were available, we are trying to balance the team with them so that whenever we need somebody, they are ready for us,” added Harmanpreet.
The captain acknowledged the bowling unit’s struggles in the recent series against South Africa, especially in the power-play, but stressed that one poor outing should not overshadow their overall record.
“In T20 format, with the runs being made, it’s a hard job for bowlers. But still, they were trying their best. Unfortunately, this was the only series where our bowling didn’t click much. But if I have to answer this, after the last T20 World Cup, we have won almost every T20 series. This was the only series where we didn’t do well. So I think in one series, I can’t judge my players.”
She also underlined the importance of the upcoming camp and the England series as preparation. “After this selection meeting, after a week, we are going to have another camp where we will try to cover the areas where we feel we need to work harder… Hopefully, before the World Cup, we are getting a very good series against England and will get that rhythm back.”
Apart from Bharti, Harmanpreet also praised uncapped pacer Nandni Sharma for earning a call-up to the Indian team via 17 scalps, including a hat-trick, in WPL 2026. “Bharti has done really well in domestic… Nandni Sharma, I think, has also proved herself in WPL, and she is one of the top wicket takers. We do have options, and luckily, our plan A players got injured, but somehow, we still got really good options.”
–IANS
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