IND W vs PAK W: Harmanpreet Kaur injured while Team India huffs and puffs to win against Pakistan

Just when India needed two runs to win against Pakistan in Match 7 of the ICC Women's T20 World Cup 2024 in Dubai, skipper Harmanpreet Kaur injured her neck in an attempt to save her wicket. As she walked off holding her aching neck, batter S Sajana, who came to the crease, hit a four to secure a six-wicket victory for India in 18.5 overs.

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In the 18.4 over, Harmanpreet tried to dab the ball down but missed and lost her balance. The Pakistan keeper also fumbled, missing a stumping opportunity. As soon as the Indian captain sat after the fall, she was seen holding her neck and appeared to be in pain. After the physio checked on her, she was seen walking off. Fans can only hope that her neck isn't seriously injured from that earlier misstep.

As for India's victory, they lost Smriti Mandhana (7 off 16) early in the powerplay, leaving the score at 25/1. However, Shafali Verma (32 off 35) switched gears and nearly scored at a run-a-ball, while Jemimah Rodrigues (23 off 28) found her groove with some sweeps and reverse sweeps.

Shafali eventually holed out after a promising start, and then Fatima Sana struck twice in two balls, dismissing Rodrigues and Richa Ghosh (0 off 1), leaving India in a precarious position. However, the Indian skipper Harmanpreet (29 off 24) held steady from one end, ensuring there were no last-minute nerves. Despite her injury, Deepti Sharma (7 off 8) and S. Sajana completed the game.

Earlier, India's bowlers saw Arundhati Reddy achieve her career-best figures of 3/19, while Shreyanka Patil took two wickets. Renuka Thakur Singh, Deepti Sharma, and Asha Sobhana each picked up one wicket. Pakistan got off to a poor start, losing wickets at regular intervals. Muneeba Ali (17 off 26), Nida Dar (28 off 34), captain Fatima Sana (13 off 8), and Syeda Aroob Shah (14* off 17) were the only batters to reach double digits as they lost eight wickets in 20 overs.

Teams:

India Women (Playing XI): Smriti Mandhana, Shafali Verma, Harmanpreet Kaur(c), Jemimah Rodrigues, Richa Ghosh(w), Deepti Sharma, Arundhati Reddy, S Sajana, Shreyanka Patil, Asha Sobhana, Renuka Thakur Singh

Pakistan Women (Playing XI): Muneeba Ali(w), Gull Feroza, Sidra Amin, Nida Dar, Aliya Riaz, Omaima Sohail, Fatima Sana(c), Tuba Hassan, Nashra Sandhu, Syeda Aroob Shah, Sadia Iqbal

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