Bengaluru, Sep 25: India have been dealt a major injury scare ahead of their ICC Women’s ODI World Cup opener, as fast bowler Arundhati Reddy was wheelchaired off the field after suffering a blow to her left knee during a warm-up match against England on Thursday.

The incident happened at the BCCI Centre of Excellence 1 ground when Arundhati, during her follow-through, tried to take a return catch off a powerful drive from former England skipper Heather Knight in the 13th over.

Having already dismissed opener Amy Jones earlier in the innings, Arundhati suffered a blow directly on her left knee before collapsing to the ground in clear discomfort. The Indian team medical staff rushed to her aid and, after initial attempts to help her off the field, a wheelchair was called for to take the pacer off the field.

Consequently, Jemimah Rodrigues came on to finish the 13th over. The extent of Arundhati’s injury is yet to be confirmed, and clarity is awaited on her availability for India’s tournament opener against Sri Lanka, scheduled for 30 September in Guwahati.

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Arundhati’s possible absence could be a significant setback for India in their attempt to win the prestigious event for the first time on home soil. If Arundhati is ruled out of the competition, India might consider selecting pacer Sayali Satghare, who is currently on the reserve list, as her replacement.

Previously, India drafted wicketkeeper-batter Uma Chetry as a replacement for Yastika Bhatia, who injured her left knee during India's preparatory camp for the World Cup in Visakhapatnam.

In the run-up to the competition, India faced tension due to injuries to pacers Renuka Singh Thakur, who was sidelined after the WPL 2025 due to a stress injury. Renuka managed to be fit in time for the World Cup and even played two games in India’s 2-1 series loss to Australia.

India were also made to sweat on pace-bowling all-rounder Amanjot Kaur’s fitness after she suffered a flare-up of a previous back injury in the tour of England and had been training at the CoE to be fully fit in time for the World Cup.

(IANS)

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