SMRITI Mandhana has captained India before. The job, and the responsibility in itself, is not new to her. But when the 29-year-old walks out on the field in Raipur during the first T20I against Zimbabwe, it will mark a new beginning. Not just for Mandhana the captain, but also in Indian women's cricket.
Captaincy change in the women's team does not happen so often. At least not since 2012. From having six captains between 2000 and 2012, India went on to have only two skippers over the last 14 years — Mithali Raj and Harmanpreet Kaur.
Raj led India in ODIs and Tests till her retirement in 2022 while Kaur, who took over in the shortest format in 2016, inherited the full-time job four years ago. Though Kaur led India to historic ODI WC triumph, the time had come for transition. Now, the baton has been passed on to Mandhana — the 29-year-old who has already built a legendary career — following two back-to-back early exits in T20 World Cups.
Mandhana, on Friday, will lead India for the first time as a full-time skipper in Raipur. And as she has shown in the past, the opener does not mince words about India's shortcomings in T20Is. "The last two T20 World Cups, we didn't qualify, and it definitely hurts all of us because we felt we prepared well and went there. But definitely, I think in T20 cricket, whatever is needed in terms of fitness, fielding, bowling, and batting-in all departments, I wouldn't say we are not good, we are good, but that 10 per cent improvement is needed," Mandhana said. "I think the girls are very aware of it, and we are all really working towards it. We are a pretty young group, so it's a fun group to work with. In the three days I've seen, everyone is very committed to batting, bowling, fielding, and everyone is a committed player," she added two days before the first match.
Mandhana, instead of the match eve, was addressing the media on Wednesday as the team will fly out to New Delhi on Thursday where they will be felicitated by PM Narendra Modi for their Asian Games gold. Her appointment as captain came after Kaur's resignation following the meeting with the BCCI top brass last week. The 29-year-old was candid about how it all panned out.
"The day you all found out was the same day I found out as well. The conversation (in the meeting) was about how to take Indian cricket forward, what kind of approach we should have for the next two-three years, because we have a lot of major tournaments coming up. She (Kaur) has led India for 10 years, has a lot of experience, and is a very experienced player in the team. For sure, her support will always be there, and the conversation was about how to take Indian cricket forward and what things are needed to do well ahead," Mandhana explained.
She believes that being a captain would only strengthen her batting. "My coach told me when I was 15 years old, 'Whenever you go out to bat, always think you are the captain', because you always take that responsibility. And that thing will never change. If the ball is in my zone, I will still go for it and still play whatever the team needs," said the skipper who reiterated that her aggressive approach with the bat would continue.
The 29-year-old knows the job that is in front of her. To build momentum towards the next ICC event — Women's T20 Champions Trophy in India early next year. "I have been vice-captain almost twice in the last three years, so I've been part of the leadership role. I wouldn't say it's an extremely new thing, but for sure, it's something to look forward to, and hopefully, I can do justice to the role. We have six T20 matches before the Champions Trophy as an Indian team. We'll look to set standards as an Indian team, how we approach the next three months leading up to the Champions Trophy," she said.
The first step towards that would be dominating the bilateral series against Zimbabwe over the next week.