India received a significant setback hours before their semi-final clash against Australia in the Women’s T20 World Cup, as all-rounder Pooja Vastrakar was forced to withdraw from the tournament due to an upper respiratory tract infection.
Vastrakar was one of three Indian cricketers, along with captain Harmanpreet Kaur, taken to a local hospital in Cape Town the day before the semi-final. While Vastrakar is officially out of the tournament, doubts remain about the availability of the other two cricketers.
Sneh Rana has been included in India’s squad to replace Pooja Vastrakar, who had taken two wickets in the four group-stage matches of the World Cup up to this point.
In a statement released on Thursday, the ICC announced that Sneh Rana has been approved by the Event Technical Committee of the Women’s T20 World Cup 2023 as a replacement for Pooja Vastrakar in India’s squad.
Sneh Rana, who has competed in 47 international matches, including 24 T20Is, was one of three traveling reserves, along with Sabbhineni Meghana and Meghna Singh. Before a replacement player can be officially added to the squad, the approval of the Event Technical Committee is required.
The ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2021’s Event Technical Committee is composed of six members: Chris Tetley (Chair and ICC Head of Events), Russell Adams (Tournament Director), Snehal Pradhan (ICC Women’s Cricket Manager), Mike Gajjar (Cricket South Africa representative), Ian Bishop, and Lisa Sthalekar (both independent).