Why Smriti Mandhana is Not Playing Today in IND-W vs SL-W 5th T20I?

India women and Sri Lanka women are clashing against each other in the fifth and final match of the series at the Greenfield International Stadium, Thiruvananthapuram, on Tuesday, December 30. The Women in Blue have already won the series 4-0 and are aiming for a whitewash.

However, during the toss, India skipper Harmanpreet Kaur announced Smriti Mandhana's absence from this dead rubber. Mandhana is the vice-captain of Team India and a key player in all the formats.

Why Smriti Mandhana is Not Playing Today?

India women's star batter Smriti Mandhana is not playing today's match against Sri Lanka. The reason behind his absence is that the team management decided to give rest to the opening batter.

“Yes, we have two changes today. Smriti and Renuka are resting. Kamalini is going to make her debut, and Sneh Rana is back,” Harmanpreet said during the toss.

As Smriti Mandhana isn't playing today, she will be back in action in the upcoming Women's Premier League (WPL), where she will be leading the defending champions Royal Challengers Bengaluru, starting on January 9.

Smriti Mandhana replacement for this match is G Kamalini, who has shown glimpses of her talent. Kamalini had a brilliant campaign in the ICC Women's U19 T20 World Cup and can be the future of India.

More to follow…