Smriti Mandhana out of quarantine, available for last three ODIs against New Zealand

India’s star opener Smriti Mandhana has completed her extended quarantine and is on her way to join the rest of the squad in Queenstown for the remainder of the five-match ODI series vs New Zealand. The inclusion of the left-hander will surely be a boost for the Indian team who are down 0-2 in the ongoing series.

The southpaw was forced to miss the one-off T20 International and the two ODIs against New Zealand as she was in extended Managed Isolation and Quarantine (MIQ) along with two other players — pacers Meghna Singh and Renuka Singh. Renuka is already out of quarantine while Meghna also came out of MIQ on Tuesday.

On her way to New Zealand, Smriti Mandhana expressed her excitement on her official Instagram account and is eager to join the team soon. “Finally out of quarantine!! Can’t wait to get back with the team,” the 25-year-old wrote, along with a picture of her with luggage.

 

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Though BCCI hasn’t officially made any statement, ESPNCricinfo has reported that one of Renuka, Meghna and Smriti Mandhana had tested positive for COVID-19.

The Indian team had to undergo seven days of hard quarantine in Mumbai before they left for New Zealand. Upon their arrival, the visitors also had to stay at MIQ for 10 days in Christchurch. To reduce the risk of a COVID-19 outbreak, New Zealand Cricket had moved all of India’s fixtures, including a T20I and five ODIs, to Queenstown.

Mandhana’s availability for the third ODI still remains a doubt

However, Mandhana and pacer Meghna’s availability for the third ODI is still not clear owing to fitness reasons as both the players have been in quarantine for quite some time. After the one-off T20I, batter Yastika Bhatia had informed about the stay in MIQ of Mandhana, Meghana Singh, and Renuka Singh. The visitors will be delighted if they are available as India will be looking to make a comeback in the series.

The third ODI of the series is set to be played on February 18 with the last two matches scheduled to take place on February 22 and 24 respectively.