Just hours before India is set to take on Australia in the semifinal of the ICC Women's T20 World Cup 2023 being played in South Africa, the Women in Blue could have been dealt a big blow.

According to the cricket website ESPNCRICINFO, team captain Harmanpreet Kaur and leading all-rounder Pooja Vastrakar have reported sick. According to the report, the two players have been unwell since Monday.

Although the Indian cricket board, the BCCI, remained tightlipped on Harmanpreet, it released an official update on Vastrakar. According to a tweet by the BCCI Women, Vastrakar has been ruled out of the remainder of the tournament and Sneh Rana has been named as Vastrakar's replacement in the squad.

Should Harmanpreet fail to regain fitness in time, opening batter Smriti Mandhana is likely to captain the team for the knock-out match.

India finished second in their group with three wins out of four group-stage matches, thereby setting up a semifinal clash against Australia, which topped their group.

India and Australia had met in the summit clash of the last edition of the Women's T20 World Cup played in Australia. Australia beat India by 85 runs at the Melbourne Cricket Ground to lift the Women's T20 World Cup trophy.

Also Read: India vs Australia women's T20 World Cup semi-final - Where to watch live stream

First Published:Feb 23, 2023 2:30 PM IST