Smriti Mandhana to miss first of five ODIs against New Zealand due to extended MIQ

India opener Smriti Mandhana will miss the first of the five ODIs against New Zealand due to extended quarantine in the host nation. Alongside Mandhana, pacers Meghana Singh and Renuka Singh have also been in Managed Isolation and Quarantine (MIQ) since arriving here and it is not clear why their stay has been extended. The first ODI is slated to be played here on Saturday.

"Smriti, Meghana Singh and Renuka Singh are in a compulsory MIQ by the New Zealand government," batter Yastika Bhatia said at the post-match press conference on Wednesday after India's 18-run defeat in the one-off



T20I here.

The Indian team had undergone a 10-day MIQ in Christchurch on its arrival in New Zealand.

"That's all we can say at the moment," Bhatia said about the situation without giving any more details on when the three players would be available to play.

The Indian team had undergone a week of hard quarantine in Mumbai before its departure for New Zealand on January 24.

To reduce the risk of a COVID-19 outbreak, New Zealand Cricket moved all of India's fixtures, including a T20I and five ODIs, to Queenstown.