Smriti Mandhana takes charge of India with calm leadership and tactical clarity

Smriti Mandhana takes over as India’s all-format captain, bringing experience, tactical clarity and a calm, approachable leadership style. Former teammates and coaches believe her team-first mindset will help India build on recent successes and pursue further titles across formats

New Delhi: The first thing Biju George noticed about a teenaged Smriti Mandhana at the BCCI’s first-ever Under-19 girls’ camp, held in Guntur in 2013-14, was her cover drive. Tall and bespectacled, Smriti leaned into the ball so sweetly while playing the shot that George nicknamed her ‘Lady Dada’.

The second thing he noticed was her gutsy nature when she approached him to resolve an issue. “She came up to me and said, ‘Listen, I find it difficult. I am like a compulsory hooker. So people get me out with that and I want to work on that,’” George told IANS.

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He and a colleague, Raghu, who is currently the throwdown specialist with the India men’s team, took her to the indoor nets at the old NCA and threw balls at her for hours until the issue was resolved. That habit and maturity run through almost every account of Smriti Mandhana, India’s new all-format captain. Harmanpreet Kaur stepped down as India’s skipper on October 6, though she will continue as a player.

She leaves after leading India to its first-ever ODI World Cup title at home in 2025, a second Asian Games gold medal and two Asia Cup triumphs. However, under Harmanpreet’s captaincy, India also exited the group stage of the last two T20 World Cups, although she was hampered by the absence of key all-rounders this year.

Smriti, 30, has led India in 18 T20Is and four ODIs as a stand-in captain and guided Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) to WPL titles in 2024 and 2026. This year, she surpassed Mithali Raj to become the leading run-scorer in women’s international cricket, scored a record 18th international hundred to move past Meg Lanning, and overtook Suzie Bates to top the T20I run charts.

In March, Mattel made a one-of-a-kind Barbie doll of her, making her the first cricketer to receive that honour. Aarti Vaidya, a former India player and national selector, believes the measured and assured Smriti is well prepared to begin her captaincy. “She has played a lot of WBBL and franchise matches in England too. So she has that international cricket experience of handling and being with different teams, and that helps.”

Similar views were echoed by Malolan Rangarajan, RCB’s women’s head coach. “It’s very well deserved for someone who has worked so hard on her game and also contributed so much to Indian cricket. She has been India’s vice-captain for such a long time, so it’s a well-deserved elevation and adds another feather in Smriti’s cap,” he told IANS.

It also helped that when Smriti captained RCB, the team had former international captains such as Heather Knight and Sophie Devine. “While picking her, it wasn’t like we were waiting to see how good a captain she was. She had captained before she joined RCB, too. So she was already very experienced back then.

“But having worked with her over a period of four to five years now, you get to know the person, too. She is a leader of a team and not a leader of select individuals. She always thinks about what’s best for the team, how the team and everything associated with it can move forward.

“I’m pretty sure that regardless of whether she is the Indian captain or not, even as vice-captain, she was always thinking about how she could contribute and take Indian cricket forward,” Rangarajan added.

Asked about instances in the WPL when Smriti shone as captain, Rangarajan was wary of reducing her leadership to a single moment. “She has an extraordinary pulse of the game. She knows what works and what doesn’t. With her, it was always about knowing what’s best for the team and what’s best for a situation. So I can’t point out a single situation in which Smriti was amazing.

“She’s a very, very experienced player. She knows a lot of Indian and international girls. Even tactically, she’s very adept — she knows exactly what to do and when. Overall, her experience has been amazing,” he said.

Tejal Hasabnis, who will play under Smriti in the ODI series against Zimbabwe in Vadodara, knows her well from their Maharashtra days. Making her international debut under Smriti’s captaincy during the 50-over clash against New Zealand in Ahmedabad in 2024 will always be a memorable fact for the right-handed batter.

“Growing up, I played a lot of cricket under her. She used to lead the Maharashtra senior side as well. So, yes, it will be very familiar, and I’m just looking forward to it. I’m so excited because this is a new chapter for the Indian women’s cricket team. I’m very excited to see how she approaches it and what comes next.”

Hasabnis also offered a glowing assessment of what it is like to play under Smriti’s captaincy. “Basically, Smriti is a very calm and thoughtful person off the field, and she is the same on the field. I feel she prepares and then comes out and executes her plan with a calm head.

“Even in domestic games, she was clear about what she wanted from the team. She gave us role clarity — what she expected from the players — and supported us in executing our plans.”

Former India player Soniya Dabir was Smriti’s roommate when the latter first broke into Maharashtra’s senior side as a shy teenager. Made captain of the side at 16, Smriti leaned on senior players rather than trying to impress them.

“She used to listen to everyone for help in formulating strategies. She could make out whose advice was worth taking and used to think about situations differently. That thought process was very clear from a young age. With the bat, we always believed that as long as she was there, we could still go ahead and win the match.”

Smriti has spent her India career playing under two very different leaders: the measured Mithali Raj and Harmanpreet, whose fire was important for a team still learning to believe in itself. “Luckily for her, she got to play under Mithali and Harman for a long time. So she is quite experienced for that job and, when Harman was unavailable, Smriti also stepped in,” Aarti said.

George summed up the change in leadership in a well-chosen phrase. “Harman was steel-steel. Now Smriti will be steel and velvet. Harman can be aloof at certain times. Smriti is never aloof. Smriti is always available, and I know the girls will love working with Smriti.”

He called it “a new era for India, where the captaincy is more welcoming”. In George’s view, Smriti is “one girl who will always listen” and one of the few who would “reach out and ask”. “Smriti and Jemi (Jemimah Rodrigues) are a few people who have never changed,” he said.

Aarti believes the change at the helm has come at the right time. “I just thought the time had come for her to take charge. I guess she would handle it properly because she has that experience.”

George, however, expects one adjustment to be challenging. “Challenges will be working with the same support staff because they were so much used to Harman’s style of captaincy.”

A home Champions Trophy in February 2027, followed by the T20 World Cup and the Los Angeles Olympics in 2028, and the defence of the ODI World Cup title in 2029 will be on Smriti’s radar. Strong results in all these events will shape how her captaincy is judged, particularly in an era of social media, where questions and criticism come quickly.

That level of scrutiny, long reserved for India’s men’s captains, reflects how far the women’s game has come. Harmanpreet built a side that learned to fight, then win and consistently challenge top teams. Smriti’s task will be to take the team to the next level, crack the code of success in the shortest format and remain a dependable batter.

“She’s been playing the sport at the highest level for a while now. She knows what it takes to play at that level — not only to play, but also to be a superstar at that level. So this has come at a very good time for her and the Indian cricket team.

“Knowing Smriti, the only thing she’ll be thinking about is how she can take this team to the next level. They’ve obviously won the 50-over World Cup and, knowing her, she’ll be thoroughly and fully focused on how she can make this team even better,” Rangarajan added.

It also helps that Smriti is approachable and empathetic towards newcomers and youngsters, helping them feel they belong. “With Smriti, what you see is what you get. Regardless of her seniority or experience, she conducts herself in a very calm manner.

“She’s very approachable, and I’m pretty sure that if you speak to more girls, they’ll echo the same sentiment about how good Smriti is within the group. RCB has also found a couple of players who joined as uncapped players and have now gone on to play for the country. That’s a testament to how Smriti has led the team,” Rangarajan said.

He also believes Smriti can easily separate her batting from her captaincy duties. “Again, Smriti is experienced enough to detach the two. When she captains, she captains, and when she bats, she’s mature and experienced enough to think like a batter and do what’s required for the team. So, knowing her as a person, I don’t think her being captain will make too much of a difference.”

Soniya agreed. “I don’t think the pressure of captaincy will matter that much to her. She is used to it now. As she said in an interview, a captain is more answerable. So now she has an idea of what she is going to face. She will take it as an opportunity. There are still lots of trophies to be won.”

Aarti added, “If you have that hunger to win, then obviously there are a lot of things that come your way. I guess she has that hunger and proved it during the WPL, too. She has handled the team there very well.”

Rangarajan returned to Smriti’s clarity of thought as a leader. “Smriti is such an experienced player. She knows every player — literally every player. Practically, she’s very clear. She doesn’t waste time and wants to do what’s right for the team. Even in meetings, she’s very clear about the message that needs to go out to the team. She’s been absolutely good, and I don’t expect her to do anything different with the Indian team.”

George believes Smriti’s commitment to learning will serve her well. “One thing about her is that she constantly keeps learning about batting and everything. She is going to be a very good captain for India. Like in men’s cricket, we say Ravi Shastri is probably the long-time captain India never had, and I wish Smriti stays captain for a long time.”