New Delhi, Oct. 14 -- Smriti Mandhana will begin her captaincy era on Friday when the Indian women's team host Zimbabwe in a three-match T20I series in Raipur. A two-time Women's Prmeier League (WPL)-winning captain with Royal Challengers Bengaluru, Mandhana was named the new skipper after Harmanpreet Kaur stepped down earlier this month.

Having taken over the T20I reigns in 2016, Harmanpreet took over as an all-format skipper in 2022 after the retirement of legendary Mithali Raj. In fact, India's first-ever ODI World Cup triumph came under Harmanpreet in 2025 at home, as India beat South Africa in the final.

While Harmanpreet remain available as a player, Mandhana will call all the shots from now on, starting from Zimbabwe series. Post...