Smriti Mandhana for India - (Source: AFP)
On Tuesday, December 30, India women locked horns against Sri Lanka women in the fifth and final T20I of the five-match series. The Harmanpreet Kaur-led side have already clinched the series 4-0 and eyeing the whitewash. Meanwhile, for the deadrubber game, the Women in Blue made a couple of changes to their playing XI.
The most noticeable change was exclusion of Smriti Mandhana. The southpaw, who featured in the first four T20Is, has been rested and the same was confirmed by Harmanpreet Kaur at the toss.
"We were okay to bat first also. It is an important match. So lets take it that way. How we started this series, that's exactly how we want to finish. We have two changes Smriti Mandhana and Renuka Thakur are resting. G. Kamalini makes her debut. Sneh Rana is back," remarked Kaur at the toss.
G Kamalini replaces Smriti Mandhana for fifth T20I
In Mandhana's absence, 17-year-old G Kamalini will make her debut and also open the innings alongside Shafali Verma. Notably, this teenage sensation from Tamil Nadu was snapped up by Mumbai Indians Women for a jaw-dropping ₹1.6 crore during 2025 WPL auction, which caught everyone's attention.
The 17-year-old had a below-par WPL season as she only amassed 32 runs in five matches, averaging only 10.67.
Smriti Mandhana back among runs for India
Shifting the focus back on Smriti Mandhana, the southpaw started the series on a negative note as she amassed only 40 runs in three innings. However, the 29-year-old regained her lost mojo in the fourth T20I, where she slammed 80 (48) and also completed 10,000 international runs with that knock.
The management wants to be careful with senior players as T20 World Cup 2026 is set to take place next year and the apex board wants the players to be fit and active going into the mega-event.
.jpg?type=mq "Players who could be dropped")
