Smriti Mandhana calls captaincy a huge honour, stresses responsibility

Raipur (TIP): Newly appointed Indian women’s cricket team captain Smriti Mandhana has described the six T20I matches scheduled to be played this year as crucial for the team ahead of the inaugural Women’s Champions Trophy in 2027.
Mandhana has taken over as captain across formats from Harmanpreet Kaur as Indian women’s cricket enters a new era. Her first assignment as full-time skipper will be to lead the Women in Blue in a three-match T20I series that begins on Friday. With India scheduled to play three more T20Is against South Africa before the Women’s Premier League (WPL) in January-February 2027, Mandhana considers these limited opportunities crucial for the team to identify the style of cricket it wants to play. “In the T20 format, we have six matches before the Champions Trophy. Of course, the WPL will take place before that, but as an Indian team, we have three matches here and three against South Africa to take things forward. “So, it’s going to be extremely important to see what style of cricket we want to play, what brand of cricket we want to play, and who’s fitting where, she said.