Why did Smriti Mandhana miss India’s one-off T20I against New Zealand?

India Women’s Cricket Team commenced their 2022 Cricket Season today with the one-off T20I against New Zealand but not the way they wanted it to. The team led by Harmanpreet Kaur that was without its star opener Smriti Mandhana ended up 18 runs short of their target of 155. Mandhana’s absence in the playing XI came as a surprise for many which is evident from the fact that the 2021 ICC Cricketer of the year has hardly been seen out of the playing XI and is regarded as one of the best cricketers in India with a huge fan base as well.

Sharing an update on the same, ESPN Journalist Annesha Ghosh wrote that Smriti Mandhana along with Renuka Singh Thakur and Meghna Singh, are still in the New Zealand government’s mandatory Managed Isolation and Quarantine (MIQ) facility.

It is learned that Mandhana would be also missing at least the 1st of the 5 ODIs that are scheduled for Saturday, February 12. Having said that, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) is yet to make an official statement on the matter.

Due to the extended Quarantine in NZ, Smriti Mandhana is set to miss the 1st ODI against NZ on 12th FEB.

For the same reason, she wasn’t part of T20I match today. #NZvIND #SmritiMandhana pic.twitter.com/zEOsj32ewG

— Female Cricket (@imfemalecricket) February 9, 2022

The report on ESPN Cricinfo also shared a statement made by the emerging talent Yastika Bhatia who took over the opening charge in Mandhana’s absence today,

“Smriti, Meghna Singh, and Renuka Singh are in compulsory MIQ by the New Zealand government. That’s all we can say at the moment,” she said in the post-match press conference.

If the reports going around are correct, then Bhatia would be going ahead with the opening responsibility alongside Shafali Verma in the ODIs while the bowling unit would have to be looked into if both Renuka and Meghna miss out as well.

The ODIs begin from February 12 with all matches being played at John Davies Oval in Queenstown, 3: 30 AM (IST) onwards. The final ODI will be played on February 24, just a week before the ICC Women’s World Cup begins where India takes on Pakistan in their opening game on March 6.

New Zealand v India- ODI Series Schedule