Smriti Mandhana Begins Captaincy Era for Zimbabwe Series
Smriti Mandhana takes over as India's captain for the upcoming white-ball series against Zimbabwe. See the full squads for ODIs and T20Is.
A new chapter begins for Indian women's cricket as Smriti Mandhana prepares to lead the side in her first assignment as the all-format captain. The announcement comes as India names its squads for the highly anticipated white-ball series against Zimbabwe, marking a significant transition in the team's leadership structure.
The End of an Era and a New Beginning
Mandhana steps into the role following the departure of Harmanpreet Kaur, who officially stepped down from her captaincy duties on Tuesday, October 6. This change sets the stage for the upcoming tour, which features India's first-ever bilateral international series against Zimbabwe. The tour is scheduled to kick off on October 16 and will consist of three T20Is followed by three ODIs.
Squad Shake-ups and Fresh Faces
The selection committees have introduced several new names to the rosters, signaling a push toward fresh talent. In the T20I contingent, Niki Prasad and Jintimani Kalita have been handed their call-ups, providing Mandhana with new options in the shortest format.
The ODI squad has also seen a strategic addition with Nandani Sharma, who brings prior T20I experience to the one-day format. However, the most striking aspect of the selection is the exclusion of several prominent players from the T20I squad. Notable names such as Bharti Fulmali, Shreyanka Patil, Renuka Singh, and Radha Yadav—all of whom were part of the gold medal-winning squad at the recent Asian Games—have been left out.
To fill these gaps, the selectors have brought in Minnu Mani, Anushka Sharma, Niki Prasad, and Jintimani Kalita to bolster the T20I ranks.
India's T20I Squad
- Smriti Mandhana (c)
- Shafali Verma
- Niki Prasad
- Harmanpreet Kaur
- Anushka Sharma
- Richa Ghosh
- G Kamalini
- Deepti Sharma
- Prema Rawat
- Sree Charani
- Nandni Sharma
- Kranti Gaud
- Arundhati Reddy
- Jintimani Kalita
- Minnu Mani
India's ODI Squad
- Smriti Mandhana (c)
- Shafali Verma
- Pratika Rawal
- Harmanpreet Kaur
- Harleen Deol
- Tejal Hasabnis
- Deepti Sharma
- Richa Ghosh
- Yastika Bhatia
- Vaishnavi Sharma
- Nandni Sharma
- Sree Charani
- Kranti Gaud
- Sayali Satghare
- Renuka Thakur