The Indian women’s cricket team will take on the UAE in the Asia Cup on Sunday. India has suffered a major setback ahead of this match. Young spinner Shreyanka Patil has been ruled out of the tournament due to injury. A press release issued by the Asian Cricket Council said that the 21-year-old Indian off-spinner had fractured the fourth finger of her left hand. Shreyanka bowled 3.2 overs in the match against Pakistan on Friday and took 2 wickets for 14 runs.
India won by losing seven wickets in 14.2 overs, after which she did not need to bat. 26-year-old left-arm uncapped spinner Tanuja Kanwar, who plays for Gujarat Giants in the WPL and Railways in domestic cricket, has been called Shreyanka’s replacement.
Shreyanka debuted for India in December 2023 after a stellar performance in the WPL. This year, she became the champion with Royal Challengers Bangalore, taking 13 wickets this season – the most by any bowler. Shreyanka has played 12 T20s for India and has gone wicketless in only two. She has also represented her country in three ODIs.
The Himachal Pradesh-born Kanwar also made a splash in the WPL. She was picked up by the Giants for Rs 50 lakh in 2023. A week before that auction, she took 3 for 26 for Railways in the One Day Trophy final and finished the tournament with 18 wickets at an average of 11 and conceding just 2.43 runs per over. Kanwar finished the 2024 WPL season with 10 wickets in eight matches at an average of 20.70 and an economy rate of 7.13. She is known for a variation where she bowls her left-arm spin from behind the popping crease.
