Smriti Mandhana’s first Test captaincy: Progress to the Women’s Champions Trophy

Newly appointed Indian captain Smriti Mandhana will begin her full-time charge with a clear objective: make the most of the upcoming bilateral assignments to prepare India for the inaugural Women’s Champions Trophy early next year.

India will host Zimbabwe for a three-match T20I series from Friday, followed by three ODIs, before heading to South Africa for a multi-format tour. The upcoming matches will give Mandhana an opportunity to assert her leadership approach, fine-tune India’s combinations and address areas that need improvement, especially in the shortest format.

with Champions Trophy on the horizonMandhana believes the six T20Is ahead of the tournament will be crucial in determining how India approach the coming months.

SIX T20IS TO SET THE TONE

Mandhana will lead India as a full-time captain for the first time against Zimbabwe, which will also be the country’s first bilateral series against an African side.

“The first bilateral (series) with Zimbabwe, I think, is very exciting. This is the first time we are playing them,” Mandhana told reporters.

The India captain also emphasized that playing against teams outside the established group of international heavyweights can offer a different perspective on the game. She pointed to the enthusiasm with which the associated nations approach cricket and suggested that there are lessons to be learned beyond the immediate competition.

“Sometimes playing Zimbabwe and all the associated nations, I feel you can learn a lot from them as well because they enjoy playing their cricket,” she said.

But for Mandhan, the greater emphasis remains on ensuring that India use the upcoming matches to prepare for the Champions Trophy rather than treating them as isolated bilateral tasks.

“But again, we have 6 T20 matches before the Champions Trophy as an Indian team, so we will try to set the standards as an Indian team (as) as we approach the next 3 months leading up to the Champions Trophy,” she added.

The Zimbabwe series will be the first step in that process, with the subsequent tour of South Africa offering India further opportunities to test themselves in different conditions and opposition.

FINDING THE RIGHT T20I FORMULA

Despite India’s recent success, Mandhana acknowledged that the team still has areas to address in the T20I format. The upcoming matches will give the new captain and team management a chance to work on these aspects ahead of the Champions Trophy.

“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.

Mandhana also termed the contributions of the players who came into the side as a positive for India, suggesting that the team has reasons to be confident as they begin preparations for the next big tournament.

“But I would say our strength was the players that came in. They did extremely well. On the first day, I wouldn’t really want to talk about weaknesses in a way,” she said.

Her comments suggest that while India acknowledges the need to improve, the immediate priority is to build on the team’s strengths and establish a consistent approach under the new captain.

“There are a lot of things we have to work on. We need a lot of things to get to the place. But I think today is the day to talk about good and positive things,” added Mandhana.

A NEW CHAPTER FOR MANDHANA

The Zimbabwe series marks the start of Mandhana’s first stint as India’s full-time captain, and her leadership is at the heart of the team’s preparations for the coming months. The challenge will be to translate this responsibility into a clear playing approach while ensuring the team continues to develop in the T20I format.

Before the cricket begins, the Indian women’s team will travel to New Delhi on Thursday along with the men’s team for a gala event with Prime Minister Narendra Modi following their gold triumph at the Asian Games.

Attention then shifts to the field, with Zimbabwe and South Africa providing India with an important stretch of international cricket ahead of the Women’s Champions Trophy. For Mandhana, the priority is clear: use the upcoming matches to set standards, strengthen the team’s attitude and build towards the tournament early next year.

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