Smriti Mandhana and Harmanpreet Kaur lead India women in Australia tour

The Indian women’s cricket team has arrived in Australia for a multi-format series starting February 15. Harmanpreet Kaur will lead across formats, with Smriti Mandhana as vice-captain. The tour includes three T20Is, three ODIs, and a one-off Test

Sydney: The Indian women’s cricket team has arrived in Australia for the multi-format series, which will begin on February 15. The tour includes three T20 matches, three One-Day Internationals, and a historic one-off Test. Harmanpreet Kaur will lead India in all formats, with Smriti Mandhana as vice-captain.

In a video released by BCCI Women on Monday, the players looked excited for the tour. Smriti spoke about the celebrations after RCB won their second WPL title and how she feels returning to national duty.

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“Very hectic, I would say, but worth it. We had a lot of fun, but now back to national duty,” she said in the video.

India will play the first T20I against Australia at the Sydney Cricket Ground on February 15, followed by the second at Manuka Oval in Canberra on February 19, and the third at Adelaide Oval on February 21.

The T20I series will serve as crucial preparation for the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2026, scheduled for June.

The ODI series begins on February 24 at Allan Border Field in Brisbane. The second and third ODIs will be played at Hobart’s Bellerive Oval on February 27 and March 1.

This will be the first ODI meeting between the two sides since India’s five-wicket win over Australia in the Women’s World Cup 2025 semi-final last October. It will also be the farewell series for Australia great Alyssa Healy, who has announced her retirement from all formats after the India campaign.

The tour will conclude with a prestigious one-off Test, a four-day contest from March 6 to 9 at Perth Stadium.