India went through their last training session in Bristol on Monday evening still unsure whether Harmanpreet Kaur will lead them out in the second T20I against England. The captain has been easing back after a knock on the head picked up in last week’s warm-up against the ECB Development XI.
“There are positive signs, she [Harmanpreet] has joined the practice session today,” confirmed all-rounder Sneh Rana. “She will be assessed and monitored post the practice session.” India’s medical staff will give her one final check on Tuesday morning before settling the matter.
Nobody has been completely clear about the exact moment of impact in that warm-up, but the numbers show she was batting fluently – 28 from 16 balls, four boundaries – until Sarah Glenn trapped her lbw. India still fell six short of 195, and Harmanpreet sat out the series opener in Nottingham as a precaution.
Her absence created an unexpected spotlight for Smriti Mandhana. Told only on the morning of the match that she would be standing in, Mandhana responded with a maiden T20I hundred. The left-hander became the first India woman, and just the fifth player in the women’s game, to tick off centuries in all three international formats. She later admitted she “had a 50-50 idea” the job might fall her way, so the switch of roles did not feel completely alien.
With the series moving quickly – five T20Is in 11 days – Tuesday’s fixture carries an extra personal milestone. Mandhana is set to become only the second India cricketer, after Harmanpreet, to reach 150 women’s T20I caps. Around the world only six others have managed it. “It’s a special occasion for her and the Indian team,” Rana said, a sentiment nobody in the camp is likely to dispute.
Rana herself returned at Nottingham, her first appearance since the 2023 T20 World Cup, slotting back into the lower middle order and sending down her off-breaks without fuss. Her control helped India strangle England by 97 runs and grab a 1-0 lead.
Tactically, India will weigh the merits of risking Harmanpreet so soon after a head knock. Concussion protocols are stricter now – rightly so – and the management know they have three more T20Is (The Oval on 4 July, Old Trafford on 9 July and Edgbaston on 12 July) plus a looming ODI leg. A one-day rest now could secure her for the rest of the trip.
England, meanwhile, must solve the Mandhana puzzle quickly. Her strike-rate of 150 in Nottingham forced the home attack off their plans early, and the surface at Bristol tends to travel if the ball is even a fraction short.
Whether Harmanpreet walks out for the toss or watches in a tracksuit, India’s immediate brief remains much the same: build on an emphatic start, keep the series tempo, and avoid any more injury complications. Tuesday will tell if caution or ambition wins the argument.
