Heather Knight set to miss the series against India after undergoing hip surgery

Heather Knight, skipper of the England Women’s team, will miss the limited-overs series against India, scheduled to be played in September this year. Knight sustained the injury during the T20I series against South Africa in July and it ruled her out of the home Commonwealth Games as well.

Nat Sciver took on the leadership role in Knight’s absence at the multi-nation tournament in Birmingham. The home team walked into the event as one of the favorites for a podium finish and they did have a solid start to the tournament. They were undefeated in the group stages, thrashing Sri Lanka, South Africa, and New Zealand in rather one-sided affairs. But when it came to the business end of the tournament, the England side succumbed under pressure.

They suffered a heartbreaking loss to India in the semi-finals by a small margin of four runs. Then, in an all-important bronze medal match, they were completely dominated by the white ferns and were defeated by eight wickets. They were too close yet too far to grab the medal. They seem to have missed the calmness of Heather Knight in the big matches.

The 31-year-old has already missed the 2022 Commonwealth Games and the Hundred due to injury. Post hip- surgery, she herself stated that she will miss the white ball series against India and also the Women’s Big Bash League (WBBL) which is slated to start in October.

I’ve had a little clean out of my hip to get me back and running soon,” the talismanic allrounder posted on social media.

“Unfortunately it rules me out of the India series and the WBBL, but I’m aiming to be back by the end of the year. Time to make the most of a bit of time away and bring on the rehab.” she added.

England will start their campaign against the Women in Blue with the three-match T20I series, starting on September 10. After the shortest format, the sides will shift their attention to the ODIs.