India have suffered an unfortunate injury setback ahead of the ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup 2025 as their star pacer Arundhati Reddy had to be taken off the field during the warm-up game against England.
India's Arundhati Reddy injured ahead of Women's World Cup
The incident occurred at the BCCI Centre of Excellence 1 ground during the 13th over. While in her follow-through, Reddy attempted to take a difficult return catch off a powerful drive hit by former England skipper Heather Knight. She landed awkwardly on her left leg and immediately fell to the ground. Later she was wheelchaired off the field, raising concerns about her participation in the Women's World Cup which is slated to start from September 30.
Jemimah Rodrigues had to step in to complete the over.
Reddy, who had already managed to dismiss England opener Amy Jones earlier in the match, was in distress. Doctors quickly rushed onto the field to provide assistance, and a wheelchair was brought out to help transport the injured bowler off the ground.
The Indian team is anxiously awaiting news, hoping that Arundhati Reddy’s injury is not serious, as she is considered a crucial part of their pace bowling attack for the World Cup. Should Reddy be officially ruled out of the competition, India may look to replace her with pacer Sayali Satghare, who is currently on the reserve list. This would follow a previous squad change where wicketkeeper-batter Uma Chetry was drafted in to replace Yastika Bhatia, who had injured her left knee during the preparatory camp in Visakhapatnam.
The team's preparation has been strained by a series of injuries to their pacers. Renuka Singh Thakur was sidelined after the WPL 2025 with a stress injury, but fortunately, she recovered in time for the World Cup, even featuring in two games during India’s 2-1 series loss to Australia. Additionally, there were fitness concerns regarding pace-bowling all-rounder Amanjot Kaur, who experienced a flare-up of a previous back injury during the tour of England and has been undergoing rigorous training at the Centre of Excellence (CoE) to ensure she is fully fit for the tournament.
India is set to begin their ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup campaign against co-hosts Sri Lanka on the opening day of the tournament. The match will take place on September 30 in Guwahati.