Deepti Sharma fit for 3rd T20I against Sri Lanka, confirms head coach Muzumdar

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: India’s off-spin bowler and allrounder Deepti Sharma has been declared fit and is available for selection for the third T20I against Sri Lanka, head coach Amol Muzumdar confirmed on the eve of the match on Thursday.

Deepti sat out the second T20I in Visakhapatnam, which India won by seven wickets, after suffering from a mild fever, with the BCCI medical team closely monitoring her recovery. “Deepti is absolutely fine. She’s available and fit”, Amol Mazumdar said in the pre-match press conference on Thursday.

Although India holds a 2-0 lead in the five-match T20I series, pacer Renuka Singh Thakur is yet to feature, with Muzumdar attributing her absence to the team experimenting with different combinations.

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“For Renuka, again, we were looking at a different combination. Also trying out a few things, and she’s an integral part of this team, as you’ve known in the last two years. It’s just about trying out a few things within the group”, said Muzumdar.

Muzumdar also added that Jemimah Rodrigues, who scored an unbeaten 69 and 26 in the Visakhapatnam T20Is, respectively, missed the third T20I practice session as a precaution.

India’s head coach said that Jemimah had a minor issue but is doing well and was rested as a precaution. He added that the doctors and physiotherapists are closely monitoring her condition and expressed confidence that she will be fine, describing it as a routine, mandatory rest.

“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”, he said.

When asked about the playing XI of the third T20I, Muzumdar said the management will decide the team on the morning of the match. “We’ll decide the playing XI on the morning of the game”, he said. (ANI)