Smriti Mandhana's captaincy begins with Zimbabwe T20I series in Raipur

Smriti Mandhana will lead India for the first time as full-time captain when the side faces Zimbabwe in the opening T20I in Raipur on Friday. The three-match T20I series marks Zimbabwe's first bilateral white-ball tour of India and will be followed by three ODIs in Vadodara from October 23 to 28.

Mandhana said the leadership change is not entirely new after a decade as vice-captain but acknowledged the added responsibility. She highlighted the need to improve in T20Is ahead of the Women's Champions Trophy at home next year. Harmanpreet Kaur remains in the squad and is expected to benefit from being free of captaincy duties.

India must fill the number three spot left vacant by injured Jemimah Rodrigues. Candidates include Anushka Sharma, Niki Prasad and G Kamalini. Zimbabwe, led by Josephine Nkomo, have lost all their T20Is this year but gained confidence from their first ICC Women's Championship win against the West Indies last month.