India named Smriti Mandhana as new captain across all formats after Harmanpreet Kaur stepped down. Mandhana who served as vice captain under Harmanpreet Kaur has led India in four ODIs and 18 T20Is. Her first assignment is the limited over series against Zimbabwe, begining with three T20Is in Raipur from October 16.
“I would like to acknowledge Harmanpreet and the contribution she made as captain over the years. She has led the team with great commitment and has been an important part of our journey,” 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. 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.”
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Smriti first played for India in a T20I against Bangladesh at Vadodara in 2013. So far she represented India in 9 Tests, 120 ODIs and 179 T20Is. She has captained Maharastra in domestic cricket and Royal Challengers Bengaluru in Women’s Premier League.
From 18 T20Is as captain, she led India to 11 wins, 6 losses and one match ended without a result. In ODIs, India won all four matches under her captaincy. Mandhana has led RCB to two Women’s Premier League titles, winning their first in 2024 and another in 2026.
Harmanpreet enjoyed a successful time as captain, becoming the first Indian woman to lead India to a World Cup victory. India defeated South Africa by 52 runs in the 2025 ODI World Cup final on November 2, 2025.
“As a captain, I have had to make difficult decisions. Decisions that not always understood, not always easy and sometimes came at personal cost. But every decision I made was with one intention – to make this team better and to give other players the opportunity to grow, believe in themselves and become the best version of themselves,” Harmanpreet said.
India Squad Against Zimbabwe
BCCI announced India squad for the three match T20I and ODI series against Zimbabwe.
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.
ODI Squad:- Smrit 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.