Newly appointed captain Smriti Mandhana on Wednesday said India may have won the ODI World Cup recently, but the team still needs to work hard in the shortest format, with the inaugural Women’s Champions Trophy set to be held early next year. Mandhana is set to lead India in her first assignment as full-time captain when the hosts take on Zimbabwe in a three-match T20I series starting on Friday, followed by three ODIs in Vadodara. She succeeded Harmanpreet Kaur as captain.
India will host the six-team T20 tournament at Mumbai’s Brabourne Stadium and the BCA Stadium in Vadodara from February 14 to 28.
Newly appointed captain Smriti Mandhana on Wednesday said India may have won the ODI World Cup recently, but the team still needs to work hard in the shortest format, with the inaugural Women’s Champions Trophy set to be held early next year.
So, I have been part of the leadership group and I wouldn’t say it is an entirely new thing. “I have been the vice-captain for almost 10 years.
Mandhana said India would look to make the most of the six T20Is ahead of the Women’s Champions Trophy. Mandhana said there were several areas in which the Indian team needed to improve in the shortest format. “We have won the World Cup in the last one-and-a-half years, but there were a few things we needed to work on in the T20 format, especially,” she said. But, for sure, it is something to look forward to and hopefully I can do justice to the role,” Mandhana said. Mandhana said the discussion centred on how to take Indian cricket forward.
Mandhana was part of a review meeting with BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia, head coach Amol Muzumdar and Harmanpreet Kaur a day before the former captain stepped down from the role across formats.
