Smriti Mandhana still in extended MIQ, misses T20I against New Zealand; unlikely to play first ODI

Smriti Mandhana missed the one-off T20 International against New Zealand here on Wednesday as she is in extended quarantine in Christchurch along with two other players, making her doubtful for the upcoming first ODI as well. Alongside Mandhana, pacers Meghana Singh and Renuka Singh are also in Managed Isolation and Quarantine (MIQ) since arriving here and it is not clear why their stay has been extended. The first ODI is slated to be played here on Saturday.

Read AlsoIndian women's team suffers 18-run loss to New Zealand in one-off T20 International

Batting let India down as they suffered an 18-run defeat to hosts New Zealand in the one-off women's T20 International here on Wednesday.

"Smriti, Meghana Singh and Renuka Singh are in a compulsory MIQ by the New Zealand government," batter Yastika Bhatia said at the post match press conference on Wednesday after India's 18-run defeat in the one-off T20I here. The Indian team had undergone a 10-day MIQ in Christchurch on its arrival to New Zealand. "That's all we can say at the moment," Bhatia said about the situation without giving any more details on when the three players would be available to play. The Indian team had undergone a week of hard quarantine in Mumbai before its departure for New Zealand on January 24. 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. The bilateral series is a key assignment for India ahead of the 50-over World Cup in March-April in New Zealand. In Mandhana's absence, Bhatia opened the batting alongside young Shafali Verma and was India's second highest run scorer in the game with a run-a-ball 26. "There's a lot of wind so we need to asses the wind