DERBY: Vice-captain of India Smriti Mandhana plans to withdraw from Women’s Big Bash League to manage his workload, allowing him to be in top form for national duty.
Mandhana has been on the road since February when India played a bilateral series against New Zealand ahead of the ODI World Cup. After the Commonwealth Games last month, the southpaw stayed in the UK for the Hundred and is now part of the bilateral series against hosts England.
“I think more than the mental part, it’s about managing the physical part a bit,” Mandhana said in a virtual media interaction ahead of the second T20. “Certainly, I will think about withdrawing from WBBL because I don’t want to miss playing for India or have any worries when I play for India because I want to give my 100% when I play international cricket. So definitely, I’ll be thinking about playing or retiring from Big Bash.”
Indian female cricketers haven’t played for 12 months during the COVID-19 pandemic. Mandhana, however, has no problem with the busier schedule she has to deal with.
“I’ve been on the road for a while now. After the one day World Cup, I’ve been on the road with the national championship and the tournaments you mentioned (the Sri Lanka tour, the Commonwealth Games , the Women’s Hundred).
“I’m just trying to tell myself that because of Covid we didn’t really play cricket and we were really hoping to come back and start playing cricket.
“And now I can’t complain that we have a lot of cricket on the set. As a player, we’ve always wanted that kind of schedule for us.
“I’m really happy to play so much cricket and I’ve had my family, as my mum is here and she was also here for the Hundred. So that also helps to be in a good spirit and the team – the friends have been just amazing. It feels like family together.”
Mandhana has been on the road since February when India played a bilateral series against New Zealand ahead of the ODI World Cup. After the Commonwealth Games last month, the southpaw stayed in the UK for the Hundred and is now part of the bilateral series against hosts England.
“I think more than the mental part, it’s about managing the physical part a bit,” Mandhana said in a virtual media interaction ahead of the second T20. “Certainly, I will think about withdrawing from WBBL because I don’t want to miss playing for India or have any worries when I play for India because I want to give my 100% when I play international cricket. So definitely, I’ll be thinking about playing or retiring from Big Bash.”
Indian female cricketers haven’t played for 12 months during the COVID-19 pandemic. Mandhana, however, has no problem with the busier schedule she has to deal with.
“I’ve been on the road for a while now. After the one day World Cup, I’ve been on the road with the national championship and the tournaments you mentioned (the Sri Lanka tour, the Commonwealth Games , the Women’s Hundred).
“I’m just trying to tell myself that because of Covid we didn’t really play cricket and we were really hoping to come back and start playing cricket.
“And now I can’t complain that we have a lot of cricket on the set. As a player, we’ve always wanted that kind of schedule for us.
“I’m really happy to play so much cricket and I’ve had my family, as my mum is here and she was also here for the Hundred. So that also helps to be in a good spirit and the team – the friends have been just amazing. It feels like family together.”