Smriti Mandhana, who is the star opening batswoman of India, was unexpectedly not included in the starting eleven of the fifth and final T20 International Match between India and Sri Lanka, which created a lot of speculation among the fans before the match’s start. Nevertheless, the Indian team management tactical reasons for this decision as they had already secured the series.
The Indian women’s team had a comfortable lead of 4-0 and was therefore the tournament finalists. The team was excelling in every aspect. The management thus decided to rest some star players like Mandhana and fast bowler Renuka Thakur, who were the main strength of the Indian women’s team, to evaluate the strength of the substitutes.
During the coin toss, the team’s captain Harmanpreet Kaur confirmed this by saying that they not only needed to try out new combinations but also wanted to give the new players a chance to get international exposure. “We want to see how strong our bench is. It is very important that we give chance to players who are performing well in domestic competitions,” she said.
Smriti Mandhana has been one of the most reliable batsmen in India and delivered well through the series. Her existence at the top of the order gave India steady starts, and her experienced was a determining factor during the first match of the series. Whether she was resting was seen as a precautionary measure rather than a signal of no form or fitness issues.
In the meanwhile, Kamalini, a 17-year-old girl, was given the opportunity to make her international debut, which became a very proud moment for her young career. The team management showed their trust in her and pointed out the necessity of nurturing young talent as a future strategy. Sneh Rana was also back in the playing XI thus increasing the all-rounder’s capacity in the team.
The Indian team still had a strong lineup with the backbone of the experienced players like Harmanpreet Kaur, Shafali Verma, Jemimah Rodrigues, and Richa Ghosh. The step taken was proof of India’s increasing pool of players and its readiness to change spots of players with no loss of standing in terms of competitiveness.
Sri Lanka team under the captaincy of Chamari Athapaththu lost the toss, but they chose to bowl first hoping to end the series positively. The team that has been struggling throughout the tour finally got a chance to try different combinations and gain some confidence against a strong Indian side in the last match.
Resting Mandhana was perceived as an integral part of a larger workload management strategy, especially with the international calendar being so busy in the coming months. With the Indian women’s team playing so many series and tournaments, their management seems to be really concerned about keeping their top players doing alright and at the same time building a strong bench.
In a nutshell, it was not so much Mandhana’s absence due to omission as it was planning for the future. These tactical decisions have been taken by the Indians who are continuing to dominate women’s cricket and indicate a mature and visionary approach. Fans can anticipate that Mandhana will soon be back on the field, recharged and ready to lead again with her attacking batting style.
