Smriti Mandhana’s first assignment as India women’s captain will come against Zimbabwe, marking the beginning of a new leadership era for Indian cricket after Harmanpreet Kaur stepped down from captaincy across all formats.
The transition at the top of Indian women’s cricket has come swiftly. Just hours after Harmanpreet Kaur announced her decision to relinquish the captaincy on October 6, the BCCI confirmed Smriti Mandhana as India’s new all-format captain and named the squads for the upcoming white-ball series against Zimbabwe.
Mandhana’s first challenge will be a six-match home series comprising three T20Is and three ODIs. The T20I leg will be played in Raipur from October 16 to 20, before the teams move to Vadodara for the ODI series from October 23 to 28. The series will also be historic as Zimbabwe and India will meet in a bilateral international series for the first time. The ODI series forms part of the ICC Women’s Championship 2025-29.
For Mandhana, however, this is more than another home series. It is the first opportunity to establish her leadership identity with the full-time captaincy. The left-handed opener has previously captained India in 18 T20Is and four ODIs, giving her some experience of leading the national side. She also has significant franchise leadership experience, having guided Royal Challengers Bengaluru to Women’s Premier League titles in 2024 and 2026.
Speaking after her appointment, Mandhana said, “To be given the responsibility of leading India is a very special honour. Representing India has always meant a great deal to me, and to now have the opportunity to lead the team is something I will value deeply.” She added, “I would also like to acknowledge Harmanpreet and the contribution she has made as captain over the years.
“She has led the team with great commitment and has been an important part of our journey. I understand the responsibility that comes with this role and look forward to working with the team, learning along the way and giving my best to take Indian Cricket forward.”
A new captain, but familiar leadership around her. The squad selection suggests that India are not looking at the Zimbabwe series purely as a transition exercise. Several established names remain part of the group, including Harmanpreet Kaur, Deepti Sharma, Shafali Verma and Richa Ghosh.
Shafali Verma has been named vice-captain for the T20I series, while Deepti Sharma will serve as Mandhana’s deputy in the ODIs. The distinction between the two squads also indicates that the selectors are continuing to build format-specific combinations. The T20I squad includes emerging names such as Niki Prasad, Anushka Sharma, G Kamalini, Prema Rawat, Sree Charani, Nandni Sharma, Kranti Gaud, Jintimani Kalita and Minnu Mani.
The ODI squad, meanwhile, includes Pratika Rawal, Harleen Deol, Tejal Hasabnis, Yastika Bhatia, Vaishnavi Sharma, Sayali Satghare and Renuka Thakur alongside the established core. The BCCI has also confirmed that Harmanpreet will continue as a player after relinquishing the captaincy. Her decision brings an end to a leadership tenure that began in T20Is in 2016 and expanded to ODI and Test captaincy in 2022.
Her tenure ended with one of the biggest achievements in Indian women’s cricket. Harmanpreet led India to their maiden ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup title in 2025, while she also captained India to Asian Games gold medals. The BCCI has described the 2025 World Cup victory as the defining achievement of her captaincy.
Mandhana’s appointment arrives at a particularly interesting point for Indian women’s cricket. Harmanpreet leaves the captaincy after leading India through its most successful period in terms of major tournament achievements, but she remains inside the dressing room as a senior player. That could make Mandhana’s first phase as captain significantly different from a conventional leadership change. She will inherit a team that has already experienced the pressure of major finals and has recently tasted World Cup success, while also being expected to integrate the next generation of players into the senior setup.
The Zimbabwe series therefore offers Mandhana a relatively controlled environment to establish her methods. The opposition is new in bilateral terms, the matches are being played at home and the six-game schedule provides enough cricket for the new captain to experiment with combinations across both formats. For Indian cricket, the most important question will not simply be whether Mandhana wins the series. It will be how quickly she can put her stamp on the team while preserving the competitive culture built during Harmanpreet’s tenure.
India vs Zimbabwe: Series schedule
1st T20I: October 16
2nd T20I: October 18
3rd T20I: October 20
1st ODI: October 23
2nd ODI: October 25
3rd ODI: October 28
India’s T20I Squad
Smriti Mandhana [C], Shafali Verma [VC], Niki Prasad, Harmanpreet Kaur, Anushka Sharma, Richa Ghosh [WK], G Kamalini [WK], 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 [VC], Richa Ghosh [WK], Yastika Bhatia [WK], Vaishnavi Sharma, Nandni Sharma, Sree Charani, Kranti Gaud, Sayali Satghare, Renuka Thakur
The first T20I will be played at the Shaheed Veer Narayan Singh International Stadium in Raipur, with the series beginning on October 16. The ODI leg will then move to Vadodara. The Zimbabwe series could therefore become the first significant chapter of the Smriti Mandhana captaincy era.
With Harmanpreet still part of the squad, experienced players surrounding her and several younger names pushing for opportunities, Mandhana’s challenge will be to turn a change in leadership into continuity on the field. For now, the message from the selectors is clear: India are moving forward with Mandhana at the helm, but they are doing so without completely breaking from the side that brought them to the top.
