The BCCI on Tuesday officially appointed Smriti Mandhana as the captain of the Indian women's team across all formats, hours after Harmanpreet Kaur stepped down from the leadership role, confirming the start of a new era for the side.
The confirmation came as the Women's Selection Committee met to pick the squads for the upcoming white-ball series against Zimbabwe, which will be Mandhana's first assignment as full-time captain.
New deputies, new faces
Shafali Verma will serve as Mandhana's deputy in the T20I series, while the ODI vice-captaincy has gone to Deepti Sharma. Harmanpreet Kaur, who led the side for several years, remains available as a player and has been retained in both squads.
The T20I squad features maiden call-ups for Niki Prasad and Jintimani Kalita, while Anushka Sharma, Minnu Mani and leg-spinner Prema Rawat have returned to the national setup. Jemimah Rodrigues remains unavailable as she continues to recover from a hamstring injury.
The Zimbabwe assignment
India will play three T20Is against Zimbabwe in Raipur on October 16, 18 and 20, followed by three ODIs in Vadodara on October 23, 25 and 28.
The series will be India's first assignment after the women's team retained the Asian Games gold medal in Aichi-Nagoya, where they had entered as defending champions after winning gold at the 2022 Hangzhou Games.
Mandhana was the obvious choice to take over, having served as Harmanpreet's deputy for the longest time and previously captained India in 18 T20Is and four ODIs. She also guided Royal Challengers Bengaluru to two Women's Premier League titles and is the highest run-scorer across formats in women's international cricket.
"To be given the responsibility of leading India is a very special honour," Mandhana said in an official statement released by the BCCI, adding that she was grateful to the board, the selectors, her teammates and everyone who had supported her. She also acknowledged Harmanpreet's contribution, saying she had led the team with great commitment.
Sources:
Smriti Mandhana takes over from Harmanpreet Kaur as India captain — Hindustan Times
India Women Squads for Zimbabwe series: Smriti Mandhana takes charge — Sportstar
The confirmation came as the Women's Selection Committee met to pick the squads for the upcoming white-ball series against Zimbabwe, which will be Mandhana's first assignment as full-time captain.
New deputies, new faces
Shafali Verma will serve as Mandhana's deputy in the T20I series, while the ODI vice-captaincy has gone to Deepti Sharma. Harmanpreet Kaur, who led the side for several years, remains available as a player and has been retained in both squads.
The T20I squad features maiden call-ups for Niki Prasad and Jintimani Kalita, while Anushka Sharma, Minnu Mani and leg-spinner Prema Rawat have returned to the national setup. Jemimah Rodrigues remains unavailable as she continues to recover from a hamstring injury.
The Zimbabwe assignment
India will play three T20Is against Zimbabwe in Raipur on October 16, 18 and 20, followed by three ODIs in Vadodara on October 23, 25 and 28.
The series will be India's first assignment after the women's team retained the Asian Games gold medal in Aichi-Nagoya, where they had entered as defending champions after winning gold at the 2022 Hangzhou Games.
Mandhana was the obvious choice to take over, having served as Harmanpreet's deputy for the longest time and previously captained India in 18 T20Is and four ODIs. She also guided Royal Challengers Bengaluru to two Women's Premier League titles and is the highest run-scorer across formats in women's international cricket.
"To be given the responsibility of leading India is a very special honour," Mandhana said in an official statement released by the BCCI, adding that she was grateful to the board, the selectors, her teammates and everyone who had supported her. She also acknowledged Harmanpreet's contribution, saying she had led the team with great commitment.
Sources:
Smriti Mandhana takes over from Harmanpreet Kaur as India captain — Hindustan Times
India Women Squads for Zimbabwe series: Smriti Mandhana takes charge — Sportstar
