A blow to India’s spin attack as off-spinner Shreyanka Patil has been ruled out of the remainder of the Women’s Asia Cup 2024 due to a fractured finger.

Shreyanka Patil suffers an injury in ring finger

Patil sustained the injury while fielding during India’s thrilling victory over arch-rivals Pakistan in their tournament opener. Despite the discomfort, she displayed remarkable grit by bowling 3.2 overs and claiming two crucial wickets for just 14 runs.

The Asian Cricket Council (ACC) confirmed Patil’s absence through a media release on Saturday. She has sustained a fracture to her ring finger on her left hand.

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Shreyanka’s replacement

The release also revealed that slow left-arm orthodox bowler Tanuja Kanwer will replace Shreyanka in the squad.

This marks a momentous occasion for Kanwer, a 26-year-old left-arm spinner, who received her maiden call-up to the national side. Her impressive performance in the Women’s Premier League (WPL) 2024, where she emerged as the leading wicket-taker for the Gujarat Giants with 10 scalps in just eight games at an impressive economy rate of 7.13, played a key role in her selection.

Kanwer’s talent was further recognized by her inclusion in the India A squad for the upcoming multi-format tour of Australia, scheduled to begin on August 7.

While India mourns the loss of Patil, the team remains focused on the ongoing tournament. Following their dominant win against Pakistan, Harmanpreet Kaur’s side will next face the United Arab Emirates (UAE) in their second group stage match, scheduled for Sunday (July 21) afternoon.

India’s updated squad:

Harmanpreet Kaur (c), Smriti Mandhana (vc), Shafali Verma, Deepti Sharma, Jemimah Rodrigues, Richa Ghosh (wk), Uma Chetry (wk), Pooja Vastrakar, Arundhati Reddy, Renuka Singh Thakur, Dayalan Hemalatha, Asha Sobhana, Radha Yadav, Sajana Sajeevan, Tanuja Kanwer

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This article was first published at WomenCricket.com, a Cricket Times company.