Mandhana leads India into Zimbabwe T20 series as she eyes stronger World Cup showing

Smriti Mandhana has taken over as India's all‑format women's cricket captain and will open her tenure with a three‑game T20 series against Zimbabwe in Raipur, a key step toward the 2028 World Cup. The team entered the past year on a high, lifting the senior World Cup, the Asia Cup and a gold medal at the Asian Games. Despite those wins, India fell short of the knockout stage in the last two T20 World Cups and officials say a modest lift in key areas is needed. Mandhana told reporters that the squad is already strong but must improve fitness, fielding, bowling and batting by roughly ten percent. She highlighted the youth of the group as an advantage and said the players understand the target. A major focus is finding a steady No. 3 batter after Jemimah Rodrigues has been sidelined with injury; options tried include Pratika Rawal, G Kamalini, Bharti Fulmali and Harmanpreet Kaur. Mandhana expressed confidence in emerging talents Niki Prasad, Anushka Sharma and Kamalini to fill the role when called upon. As captain, she has scored 484 runs in 18 T20 matches at a strike‑rate of 146.66 and insists her batting style will not change, reminding herself of captaincy duties each time she steps to the crease. She wants every member of the 15‑player squad to see themselves as a match‑winner and has the backing of former captain Harmanpreet Kaur. The Zimbabwe series is expected to set the tone for a more consistent side ahead of the next World Cup.## Context The women's T20 World Cup takes place every two years, so the 2028 edition will be the next major test after the current cycle. Consistent performance in short series like the one against Zimbabwe helps the team fine‑tune strategies and give younger players international exposure.