New Delhi: Newly appointed India captain Smriti Mandhana will begin her full-time leadership tenure with a clear objective of making the most of upcoming bilateral assignments to prepare India for the inaugural Women's Champions Trophy early next year.
India will host Zimbabwe for a three-match T20I series starting Friday, followed by three ODIs, before travelling to South Africa for a multi-format tour. The upcoming matches will give Mandhana an opportunity to establish her leadership approach, fine-tune India's combinations and address areas that need improvement, particularly in the shortest format. With the Champions Trophy on the horizon, Mandhana believes the six T20Is ahead of the tournament will be crucial in determining how India approach the coming months.
Mandhana will lead India for the first time as full-time captain against Zimbabwe, in what will also be the country's first bilateral series against the African side. She highlighted how playing against teams outside the established group of international heavyweights can offer a different perspective on the game, pointing to the enthusiasm with which Associate nations approach cricket and suggesting there are valuable lessons to be learnt beyond the immediate contest.
For Mandhana, however, the larger focus remains on ensuring India use the upcoming fixtures to prepare for the Champions Trophy rather than treating them as isolated bilateral assignments. She noted that the team has six T20 matches remaining before the tournament to establish standards and define their approach for the months leading up to the event. The Zimbabwe series will be the first step in that process, with the subsequent tour of South Africa offering further opportunities for India to test themselves against different conditions and opposition.
Despite India's recent success, Mandhana acknowledged that the team still have areas to address in the T20I format. The upcoming matches will give the new captain and the team management a chance to work on those aspects before the Champions Trophy. She also identified the contributions of players who have recently entered the side as a positive indicator, suggesting the team has reasons to be confident as they begin preparations for the next major tournament.
Her comments reflect a balanced view, recognizing that while there are multiple elements to put in place, the immediate priority is to build on existing strengths and establish a consistent approach under the new leadership. The Zimbabwe series marks the formal beginning of Mandhana's first assignment as India's full-time captain, placing her tactical direction at the center of the squad's upcoming preparations.
Before the series begins, the Indian women's team is scheduled to travel to New Delhi on Thursday alongside the men's team for a felicitation event with Prime Minister Narendra Modi following their gold-medal triumph at the Asian Games. The focus will then shift entirely to the field, with Zimbabwe and South Africa providing an important stretch of international cricket designed to strengthen India's approach ahead of the Women's Champions Trophy.