‘You take on this role to create a culture’: Smriti Mandhana on the legacy she wants to leave as India captain

Smriti Mandhana bats for India against Netherlands in the Women’s T20 World Cup Group A match at Headingley on June 17, 2026 in Leeds, England. (Photo/Getty Images) Newly appointed Indian captain Smriti Mandhana wants to improve the team’s professionalism, power hitting and fielding while building a strong team culture as India open a new era with a three-match T20I series against Zimbabwe in Raipur on Friday.India will face Zimbabwe women’s team for the first time in international cricket. The series will also give Mandhana a chance to start preparing the team for the ICC Women’s Champions Trophy 2027 to be held in India.“I have a job to do. I always say that even if the captain’s name is first on the list, you are always the last on the list when it comes to keeping everyone ahead,” Mandhana said on JioStar’s ‘Follow the Blues: The Dawn of Captain Smriti’, as quoted by news agency PTI.“I’ve been in the lead group for a while now, but I’ve definitely written a plan every time. The first thing that comes to mind is the professionalism around it and trying to make this team go at things like a well-oiled machine.”“Perhaps we need to take our training, power play, field and professionalism up a notch. And of course, setting the culture,” she added.Mandhana, who takes over as captain as India build towards their next major international tournament, said she wants to set standards for younger players to follow in the future.“You always take that role to leave it in a way where you set the culture for the team for the other girls to follow. So you’re not just doing it for the sake of it,” she said.The left-handed batsman also spoke about the value of having former skipper Harmanpreet Kaur in the dressing room, especially with several young players joining the team.“She’s led India, she’s the longest-serving captain and she’s been such a great leader. So I’m sure her experience, especially with a lot of youngsters coming into the team now, and the way she works the game, will be inspirational to a lot of people,” Mandhana said.“I hope they really watch her, the way she prepares for the game, and learn and take a lot from her.India have six T20Is ahead of the Champions Trophy apart from the Women’s Premier League (WPL), including three against Zimbabwe and three against South Africa.Mandhana said the upcoming matches will help India decide how they want to play and what roles suit each player.“It will be extremely important to see what style of cricket you want to play, what brand of cricket you want to play and who fits where. So yes, there will be a lot of things from this series as well,” she said.

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