‘There are some things we need to work on’: Smriti Mandhana identifies India’s T20I areas of improvement ahead of Women’s Champions Trophy

Indian women’s cricket team captain Smriti Mandhana wants to use the upcoming six-match series against Zimbabwe to fine-tune the team’s T20I approach and set clear standards ahead of the inaugural Women’s Champions Trophy in February 2027.The series will mark Mandhan’s first mission as India’s full-time captain, with the hosts starting their campaign with three T20Is from October 16, followed by three ODIs. India will try to use this series to assess their combinations and address areas that need improvement in the shortest format.“The first bilateral (series) with Zimbabwe I think is very exciting. It is the first time we are playing them. Sometimes when we play Zimbabwe and all the associated nations, I feel you can learn a lot from them as well because they enjoy playing their cricket,” Mandhana told reporters.Mandhana emphasized that the team will use the three T20Is to create a clear plan for their approach in the coming months, with preparations for the pace of the Champions Trophy rally.“Sometimes we get into a lot of things professionally. You can learn a lot from them. But again we have six T20 matches before the Champions Trophy as an Indian team, so we will look at setting the standard as an Indian team (in terms of) how we approach the next three months leading up to the Champions Trophy,” she added.

Mandhana identifies areas for improvement in T20Is

India have enjoyed considerable success in recent international cricket, but Mandhana believes the team still has work to do in the T20I format.“We won the World Cup in the last year and a half but there were few things we needed to work on especially in the T20 format,” she said.The India captain also appreciated the contributions of the players who came into the team and highlighted their performances as positive for the team. While she acknowledged that several aspects needed attention, she preferred to focus on the positives at the start of her captaincy.“But I would say our strength has been the players who have come in. They have done extremely well. On the first day, I wouldn’t really want to talk about weaknesses in a way,” Mandhana said.“There are a lot of things that we have to work on. We need a lot of things to get in place. But I think today is the day to talk about good and positive things,” she added.

India vs Zimbabwe: Complete Series Schedule

The Zimbabwe tour will feature three T20Is followed by three ODIs. All the three T20Is will be played in Raipur while Vadodara will host the ODI leg.DateMatchVenueTime (IST) 161 Oct T20IRaipur7:00 PMO 182. T20IRaipur7:00 PMO 203. T20IRaipur7:00 PMO 231. ODIVadodara2:0025 PMOc 283. ODIVadodara 2:00 PM