India women face Zimbabwe as Mandhana begins new captaincy chapter

Smriti Mandhana begins her full-time captaincy tenure as India face Zimbabwe in the opening T20I in Raipur. India enter the historic bilateral series with confidence, while Zimbabwe seek their first T20I victory of the year against the hosts

Raipur: A new chapter in Indian women’s cricket will begin on Friday when Smriti Mandhana leads the side as full-time captain for the first time in the opening T20I against Zimbabwe, who are still searching for their first win in the format this year.

Friday’s clash will mark the start of Zimbabwe’s first-ever bilateral series against India, and the Shaheed Veer Narayan Singh International Stadium will host a women’s international match for the first time.

Smriti, who takes over from Harmanpreet Kaur after serving as vice-captain for almost 10 years, inherits a side brimming with confidence after winning the Asia Cup and the Asian Games gold medal. Captaincy is hardly unfamiliar territory for Smriti, who has led Maharashtra in domestic cricket and guided Royal Challengers Bengaluru to two Women’s Premier League (WPL) titles.

She has also captained India in 18 T20Is, winning 11 and losing six, with her first stint coming seven years ago against England in Guwahati when Harmanpreet was injured. Her elevation to captaincy comes when Smriti is at the peak of her batting powers. The left-handed opener has struck two centuries and 15 fifties in T20Is over the last three years and has raised her strike rate to a career-best 148.25 in 2026.

While Harmanpreet remains a key figure in the dressing room, being relieved of leadership duties could allow her to be even more destructive with the bat. The main selection puzzle for India is the No. 3 slot, left vacant by Jemimah Rodrigues, who is recovering from a right hamstring tear.

G Kamalini has batted at No. 3 twice, but Anushka Sharma and Niki Prasad strengthened their cases with impressive performances against Australia A. Prema Rawat could come into the side, with Shreyanka Patil not included in the squad for the series. India will also hope that vice-captain Shafali Verma and left-arm spinner N Sree Charani continue their sparkling form.

Zimbabwe, led by Josephine Nkomo, have lost all their T20Is this year and last won in the format against Namibia in September 2025. They will, however, draw confidence from their maiden ODI win over the West Indies at home in September. Opener Kelis Ndhlovu, the only Zimbabwean to score a T20I fifty this year, will be a key figure with the bat.

The three T20Is will be followed by three ODIs in Vadodara from October 23 to 28.

Match details

When: October 16, 2026, at 7 pm

Where: Shaheed Veer Narayan Singh International Cricket Stadium, Raipur

Where to watch: The match will be telecast live on Star Sports Network channels and streamed on the JioHotstar app and website.

Squads

India: Smriti Mandhana (captain), Shafali Verma (vice-captain), Niki Prasad, Harmanpreet Kaur, Anushka Sharma, Richa Ghosh (wicketkeeper), G Kamalini (wicketkeeper), Deepti Sharma, Prema Rawat, Sree Charani, Nandni Sharma, Kranti Gaud, Arundhati Reddy, Jintimani Kalita and Minnu Mani.

Zimbabwe: Josephine Nkomo (captain), Beloved Biza, Chipo Mugeri-Tiripano, Kelis Ndhlovu, Michelle Mavunga, Francisca Chipare, Olinder Chare, Kudzai Chigora, Nyasha Gwanzura, Nomvelo Sibanda, Loryn Phiri, Chiyedza Dhururu, Modester Mupachikwa, Tendai Makusha and Sharne Mayers.