India head coach Amol Muzumdar revealed that Jemimah Rodrigues had a minor fitness “issue,” which led her to opt out of Thursday’s training session ahead of the third T20I against Sri Lanka on December 26 at the Greenfield International Stadium in Thiruvananthapuram.
Speaking at the pre-match press conference, Muzumdar said Jemimah had requested a rest day, adding that a final decision on her availability for the match would be taken on the morning of the game.
“Jemimah had a little bit of an issue, but I think she’s fine. She’s just resting today. The doctors and the physios are having a close look at her, monitoring her consistently. She should be fine. It’s just a mandatory rest that she wants. We’ll decide the playing XI on the morning of the game,” Muzumdar said.
Jemimah played a key role in the series opener, as her unbeaten 69 guided India to an eight-wicket win and earned her the Player of the Match award. In the second game, she looked fluent in her 26-run knock off 15 balls before Kawya Kavindi dismissed her.
If Jemimah does not play, opportunities could open up for Harleen Deol and 17-year-old G Kamalini, who earlier earned her maiden India call-up alongside left-arm spinner Vaishnavi Sharma. While Vaishnavi has already played two games and picked up two wickets, Kamalini is yet to make her international debut.
Muzumdar also confirmed that India’s premier all-rounder Deepti Sharma is fit and available for the next game. Deepti missed the second T20I due to a mild fever, following which Sneh Rana replaced her in the playing XI.
“Deepti is absolutely fine. She’s available and fit,” Muzumdar added.
With Deepti returning, the team management faces a selection conundrum over whom to leave out. Rana impressed in her outing, finishing with figures of 4-0-11-1, including the key wicket of opposition skipper Chamari Athapaththu, who was starting to look dangerous. As a result, Amanjot Kaur could come under pressure, having not batted so far and bowling just three overs without success.
– Ends
