IND vs SL: Why is Smriti Mandhana not playing India’s 5th T20I against Sri Lanka? | Cricket News
NEW DELHI: India made some changes for the fifth and final T20I against Sri Lanka in Thiruvananthapuram with star opener Smriti Mandhana not included in the playing XI. The decision raised questions among fans, but the reason is simple: Mandhana has been rested.
Indian captain Harmanpreet Kaur confirmed during the toss that Smriti Mandhana and fast bowler Renuka Singh Thakur were given a break for the final match of the series. With India already leading the five-match series 4-0, the team management opted to rotate players and give opportunities to others.“Yeah, I mean, we were batting well too, so yeah, it’s an important game, so let’s play well and win. Yeah, definitely. Like I mentioned, it’s an important game for us. How we started this series is how we wanted to end it. Hopefully, once again, we will continue on the same path and give the best of ourselves. 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.Seventeen-year-old G Kamalini made his international debut and was presented with his cap by Harmanpreet. Sneh Rana returned to the side, replacing Renuka Singh Thakur. The Indian playing XI also included Shafali Verma at the top, with Richa Ghosh behind the stumps and Harmanpreet leading the middle order.Sri Lanka won the toss and elected to bowl first. Captain Chamari Athapaththu said his team wanted to build on the positives from the previous match and give more exposure to the youngsters.“We decide the bowl first. Because we played some good cricket in the last match, that’s why we decide the bowl first. Actually, we are learning a lot in this tournament, especially against world champions India, so we are learning a lot in every match. So I think these opportunities are really good for young people and we learn from these mistakes and the good things here, so we will go home with positive things next year,” Chamari said.Sri Lanka Women (GameIndia Women (Playing XI): Shafali Verma, G Kamalini, Richa Ghosh (w), Harmanpreet Kaur (c), Harleen Deol, Deepti Sharma, Amanjot Kaur, Sneh Rana, Arundhati Reddy, Vaishnavi Sharma, Shree Charani
