Injury scare! Pakistan captain taken off field ahead of T20 World Cup clash against India

Pakistan captain Fatima Sana suffered an injury scare during a practice session on Saturday ahead of her team's Women's T20 World Cup opener against India.Fatima was struck on her right shin while bowling in the nets and was taken off the field by the support staff.

She did not return for the remainder of the session, news agency PTI reported.However to Pakistan team's relief, Fatima confirmed at the pre-match press conference that the hit wasn't a serious one and she is available for Sunday's game.“It was just a normal shot from Ayesha and I was hit below knee. But I think it is good now,” Fatima told mediapersons.Fatima's fitness is important for Pakistan going into the tournament.

Apart from leading the pace attack, she has also been one of the team's key batters. Since the last Women's T20 World Cup, she has scored runs at a strike rate of 183.06. Her performances include a 15-ball half-century, the fastest in Women's T20 Internationals apart from a 41-ball 90 against South Africa in Potchefstroom.She also played a major role in Pakistan's win over South Africa in Benoni in February, scoring 47 off 30 balls and taking 2-12.

Pakistan's opening match comes against India, who also begin their Women's T20 World Cup campaign on Sunday.Led by Harmanpreet Kaur, India are aiming to add a Women's T20 World Cup title to the ODI World Cup trophy they won last year. The head-to-head record is firmly in India's favour, with India winning 13 of the 16 T20Is played between the two teams.The last meeting between the sides came at the 2024 Women's T20 World Cup in Dubai, where India won by six wickets.Since then, India have developed into a more settled white-ball side, a progress reflected in their ODI World Cup triumph. Much of the squad from that title-winning campaign forms the core of the current T20 World Cup team.India have also produced good results in the lead-up to the tournament. They won T20I series against Australia (2-1) and England (3-2) away from home and beat Sri Lanka 5-0 at home.At the same time, defeats in away series against South Africa (4-1) and England (2-1) exposed areas that still need attention ahead of the tournament.