Indian Womens Cricket Team Announced for T20 and ODI Series Against Zimbabwe, Smriti Mandhana to Captain
The BCCI has named Smriti Mandhana as the full-time captain of the Indian womens team for the upcoming series against Zimbabwe.
New Delhi, October 6 (Daily Kiran) : The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has officially announced the Indian women’s cricket team for the T20 and ODI series against Zimbabwe, set to begin later this month. Smriti Mandhana will take the helm as the full-time captain, marking her first time in this leadership role.
Following Harmanpreet Kaur’s decision to step down from captaincy across all formats, the BCCI appointed Mandhana on Tuesday. She has previously captained India in 18 T20s and 4 ODIs, but this series will kick off her full-time tenure. The left-handed opener has been part of the national team since 2013 and led the Royal Challengers Bangalore to victory in the Women’s Premier League in both 2024 and 2026.
Shefali Verma has been named vice-captain for the three-match T20 series, while all-rounder Deepti Sharma will assist Mandhana in the ODI format. Kaur will remain part of both squads.
The T20 team sees the inclusion of Nikki Prasad and Jintimani Kalita for the first time. Anushka Sharma, Minnu Mani, and Prema Rawat are also making a return to the lineup. Prasad has performed well in domestic cricket and was part of the India A team that faced England A earlier this year. Kalita has also played for India A, while leg-spinner Prema has previously represented India at the international level.
Compared to the squad that clinched gold at the 2026 Asian Games, there are five changes: Nikki, Anushka, Jintimani, Prema, and Minnu have been added, while Bharti Fulmali, Pratika Rawal, Renuka Thakur, Radha Yadav, and Shreyanka Patil have been dropped.
For the ODI series, Tejal Hasbunis and Sayali Satghare have been recalled. Both players were part of the Indian team that toured England earlier this year, with Hasbunis scoring an unbeaten 57 in a match against England A.
The T20 matches between India and Zimbabwe will take place in Raipur on October 16, 18, and 20, followed by three ODIs in Vadodara on October 23, 25, and 28.
The Indian T20 squad includes: Smriti Mandhana (captain), Shefali Verma (vice-captain), Nikki Prasad, Harmanpreet Kaur, Anushka Sharma, Richa Ghosh (wicketkeeper), G Kamalini (wicketkeeper), Deepti Sharma, Prema Rawat, Shri Charani, Nandini Sharma, Kranti Gaud, Arundhati Reddy, Jintimani Kalita, and Minnu Mani.
The Indian ODI squad comprises: Smriti Mandhana (captain), Shefali Verma, Pratika Rawal, Harmanpreet Kaur, Harleen Deol, Tejal Hasbunis, Deepti Sharma (vice-captain), Richa Ghosh (wicketkeeper), Yastika Bhatia (wicketkeeper), Vaishnavi Sharma, Nandini Sharma, Shri Charani, Kranti Gaud, Sayali Satghare, and Renuka Thakur.
