“She [Rana] had a little bit of headache post the first innings,” India’s head coach Amol Muzumdar said after the match*. “We felt it was appropriate for her to do the scan. The reports have been fine and she is back in the dressing room. She is still having a little bit of a headache, but that’s normal. She is available for the third match.”
The incident happened in the 25th over of the first innings. Trying to stop a cut by left-hand batter Beth Mooney, Rana moved to her left from short third and Vastrakar to her right from backward point. In the process, Rana’s head banged into Vastrakar and both players fell onto the ground. Rana was taken off the field immediately, with the physio applying ice on her head, but returned after a couple of overs.
Rana, who had bowled four overs at the time of the collision, went on to complete her quota of ten overs. She dismissed Ashleigh Gardner in the 37th over and finished with figures of 1 for 59.
Rana was the Player of the Match for her seven wickets in the one-off Test played between the two teams last week. In the first ODI that India lost, she dismissed Australia opener Phoebe Litchfield.
*GMT 1700 Dec 30, 2023 Updated with Muzumdar’s quote