Smriti Mandhana's first captaincy test: Building towards the Women's Champions Trophy

Newly appointed India captain Smriti Mandhana will use the Zimbabwe series and South Africa tour to fine-tune India's T20I approach and prepare for the inaugural Women's Champions Trophy early next yearSmriti Mandhana was appointed as the captain of the Womens team. (Image: PTI)New Delhi,Oct 14, 2026 19:21 ISTNewly appointed India captain Smriti Mandhana will begin her full-time leadership tenure with a clear objective: making 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 starting Friday, followed by three ODIs, before travelling to South Africa for a multi-format tour. The upcoming matches will give Mandhana an opportunity to establish her leadership approach, fine-tune India's combinations and address areas that need improvement, particularly in the shortest format.With the Champions Trophy on the horizon, Mandhana believes the six T20Is ahead of the tournament will be crucial in determining how India approach the coming months.SIX T20IS TO SET THE TONEMandhana will lead India for the first time as full-time captain against Zimbabwe, in what will also be the country's first bilateral series against the African side. "The first bilateral (series) with Zimbabwe, I think, it is very exciting. It is our first time playing with them," Mandhana told reporters.The India captain also highlighted how 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 Associate nations approach cricket, suggesting that there are lessons to be learnt beyond the immediate contest. "Sometimes, playing with Zimbabwe and all the Associate nations, it feels like you can learn a lot from them as well because they enjoy playing their cricket," she said.For Mandhana, however, the larger focus remains on ensuring India use the upcoming fixtures to prepare for the Champions Trophy rather than treating them as isolated bilateral assignments."But again, we have 6 T20 matches before the Champions Trophy as an Indian team so, we will look to set standards as an Indian team (as to) how do 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 further opportunities for India to test themselves against different conditions and opposition.FINDING THE RIGHT T20I FORMULADespite India's recent success, Mandhana acknowledged that the team still have areas to address in the T20I format. The upcoming matches will give the new captain and the team management a chance to work on those aspects before the Champions Trophy."We have won the World Cup in the last one-and-a-half-year but there were few things which we needed to work in the T20 format especially," she said.Mandhana also identified the contributions of players who have come into the side as a positive for India, indicating that the team have reasons to be confident as they begin preparations for the next major tournament."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," she said.Her comments suggest that while India recognise 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 is a lot of things we need 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 stuff," Mandhana added.A NEW CHAPTER FOR MANDHANAThe Zimbabwe series marks the beginning of Mandhana's first assignment as India's full-time captain, placing her leadership at the centre of the team's preparations for the coming months. The challenge will be to translate that responsibility into a clear playing approach while ensuring the team continue to develop in the T20I format.Before the cricket begins, the Indian women's team will travel to New Delhi on Thursday alongside the men's team for a felicitation event with Prime Minister Narendra Modi following their gold-medal triumph at the Asian Games.The focus will then shift 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 approach and build towards the tournament early next year.- Ends