Smriti Mandhana’s India captaincy era begins with challenge against Zimbabwe

A new era is all set to begin for the Indian women’s cricket team as Smriti Mandhana will be leading India for the first time as full-time captain ever since she took over the captaincy from Harmanpreet Kaur.

Zimbabwe will be playing their first-ever bilateral series against India, which makes Smriti Mandhana’s captaincy assignment even more special.

The Women in Blue will be coming to this series on the back of an Asia Cup triumph and a gold medal performance in the Asian Games. With momentum on their side, one conundrum they will seek an answer to is the challenge at No.3.

In the absence of Jemimah Rodrigues (out with a high-grade hamstring tear), India tried giving opportunities to Gunalan Kamalini and Pratik Rawal. However, modest returns from the two might make India consider handing roles to Niki Prasad or Anushka Sharma in the middle order.

Zimbabwe will be coming to this series on the back of a historic ODI win against West Indies. However, their results in the shortest format of the game this calendar year aren’t too promising. They have played 18 T20Is this year and haven't won a single game.

One can expect India to experiment with their batting unit, especially to find a solid alternative for the No.3 position, until Jemimah returns. Zimbabwe, on the contrary, will pin their hopes on opener Kelis Ndhlovu, who has scored 320 runs from 18 T20Is, including a redoubtable 63 off just 48 balls against West Indies.

Venue Watch:

The track in Raipur has always been conducive to batters, and one might expect something similar here. The bounce and carry in Raipur are true, which will encourage batters to go for shots throughout the innings. The new ball will move around slightly but once the lacquer is off, batters will be eager to play their shots.

Match details:

Match: India vs Zimbabwe, 1st T20I

Venue: Shaheed Veer Narayan Singh International Cricket Stadium, New Raipur

Date: 16th October, 2026

Time: 7:00 PM IST

Head-to-head:

The two teams have never met in a WT20I.

Squads:

India:

Smriti Mandhana (c), Shafali Verma (vc), Richa Ghosh (wk), G Kamalini (wk), Niki Prasad, Harmanpreet Kaur, Anushka Sharma, Deepti Sharma, Prema Rawat, Sree Charani, Nandni Sharma, Kranti Gaud, Arundhati Reddy, Jintimani Kalita, Minnu Mani

Zimbabwe:

Josephine Nkomo (c), Chiedza Dhururu (wk), Modester Mupachikwa (wk), Michelle Mavunga, Kudzai Chigora, Nyasha Gwanzura, Sharne Mayers, Chipo Mugeri-Tiripano, Tendai Makusha, Beloved Biza, Francisca Chipare, Kelis Ndhlovu, Olinder Chare, Nomvelo Sibanda, Loryn Phiri