Will Smriti Mandhana be fit for West Indies ODIs?

Mandhana, who is recovering from a fractured right toe, has little time to get fully fit for the series.

Smriti Mandhana is currently undergoing rehab at the National Cricket Academy, Bengaluru.

There seems to be no clarity on whether Smriti Mandhana will be fully fit in time to travel to the Caribbean for the 50-over leg of a limited-overs tour beginning November 1.

The Indian batting ace fractured her right toe during the home series against South Africa a couple of weeks ago, and is currently undergoing rehab sessions at the National Cricket Academy in Bengaluru. While the BCCI officials told Sportstar they were hopeful of Smriti getting fit before the series got underway, they also made it clear that a final call would be taken once they heard from the NCA.

‘Keeping a track’

“We are keeping a track on her fitness and we will take a final decision on her after we receive a report from the NCA,” the BCCI official said, making it clear that a replacement would be considered only if Smriti failed to recover. “There is still some time left for the series and we are expecting her to get fit by then. In case she does not recover in time, we will have to think about other options.”

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While all the other members of the ODI team have already left for the Caribbean in two batches, Smriti has been busy at the NCA with the rehabilitation programmes. On Thursday, she was seen sharing some light moments with Prithvi Shaw — who, too, is undergoing rehab at the NCA.

India plays three ODIs and five T20Is against West Indies. The ODI series begins on November 1.

Smriti had a ordinary outing in the T20Is against South Africa, scoring just 46 runs in four innings.