Indian opener Smriti Mandhana is hoping to recharge her batteries physically and mentally ahead of the next year’s T20 World Cup in South Africa by pulling her name out of the forthcoming edition of the women’s Big Bash League in Australia.
The 26-year-old is tired at the heels of a very busy calendar year at the international and domestic level and is eyeing the WBBL window in October-November as an opportunity to put her feet up and be in the right headspace before she resumes the national duties.
The last thing Mandhana wants is mental and physical burnout, including potential niggles to kick in when the Indian team desperately needs her for the T20 World Cup.
“I think more than the mental part, it’s about managing a little bit of physical part. Definitely I’ll be thinking about pulling out of WBBL because I don’t want to miss out on playing for India or having any niggles 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 pulling out of Big Bash,”
she was quoted as saying by ESPNcricinfo.
Mandhana is currently in England for a limited-overs series against the hosts, featuring 3 T20Is and 3 ODIs in a span of just two weeks. She was recently plying her trade in The Hundred women’s competition for the Southern Brave side that ended runners-up. The Hundred began only four days after the conclusion of the first-ever Commonwealth Games T20I competition, where Mandhana top-scored in India’s run to finish with the silver medal.
Prior to the CWG trip, she was there in Sri Lanka for a series of ODIs and T20Is in July, a tour for which the preparations began via domestic competitions, including the Women’s T20 Exhibition tournament, in April-May. Before this, Mandhana was part of an absorbing 50-over World Cup campaign in February-March in New Zealand, a tournament for which India prepared via a full-fledged ODI series in January against the White Ferns.
The physical demands of this schedule aside, there is a fear that some mental fatigue may also creep into the opening batter’s system. But Mandhana made a larger point in the matter, stating she can’t complain about the cramped nature of the schedule now since this is the kind of itinerary women’s cricketers always wanted for themselves.
The elegant left-hander said to keep herself calm and composed she has made a point to have her family come over to the UK since The Hundred. She said the presence of her mother has helped her retain a “good mindset” for these back-to-back assignments and give her best for the team.
“I have been on the road for a while now. Post the one-day World Cup, I have been on the road with the domestic and the tournaments you mentioned [the Sri Lanka tour, the Commonwealth Games, the Women’s Hundred],”
Mandhana said.
“I just try to tell myself that because of Covid we haven’t really played a lot of cricket and we really hoped that we came back and start playing cricket.”
“And now I can’t be complaining that we have a lot of cricket on the platter. As a woman player we always wanted this sort of schedule for us. I’m really happy to be playing so much cricket and I’ve had my family over, like my mom is over here and she was here for the Hundred as well.”
India have a busy run into the T20 World Cup in South Africa in February 2023. They finish their tour of England on September 24 and enter the Asia Cup T20I in Bangladesh from October 1, with the tournament concluding on October 16.
India will host defending champions Australia for five T20Is in December and travel to South Africa early in January for a T20I tri-series, also featuring the West Indies.
