Smriti Mandhana said being full-time captain won't be challenging as she has been vice-captain for the last almost 10 years. "I have been part of the leadership role, and I wouldn't say it is an extremely new thing," she said on Wednesday. She will lead India against Zimbabwe this Friday.
New India skipper Smriti Mandhana said that being the full-time captain won't be particularly challenging to her due to having been part of the leadership group for a long time. Earlier this month, Mandhana was appointed captain of the Indian women's cricket team, the same day Harmanpreet Kaur stepped down from the role.
"I have been the vice-captain for the last almost 10 years. So, I have been part of the leadership role, and I wouldn't say it is an extremely new thing. But for sure, it is something to look forward to, and hopefully, I can do justice to the role," Mandhana said to reporters on Wednesday.
Mandhana also hoped the captaincy would have no impact on her batting.
"I have become a captain on the field; there should be no changes in my batting. My coach used to tell me when I was 15 years old, 'Whenever you bat, always think you are the captain. You always take that responsibility, and those things have never changed. If the ball is in the zone, I will still go for it. I will still play whatever (way) the team needs (me) to," Mandhana said.
Mandhana, who was Harmanpreet's deputy, has been part of the Indian team since 2013. She will be the full-time white-ball captain from now on, the BCCI had said. She has so far led India in 18 T20Is and four ODIs.
The 29-year-old was the second-highest run-scorer at the 2025 World Cup, with 434 runs, and became the first Indian woman to score international hundreds in all three formats when she made a T20I century against England in June 2025.
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.
"The first bilateral (series) with Zimbabwe, I think, is very exciting. It is our first time playing with them. Sometimes, playing with Zimbabwe and all the Associate nations, it feels like you can learn a lot from them as well because they enjoy playing their cricket," Mandhana said.
"Sometimes, we get into a lot of things professionally. You can learn a lot from them. But again, we have six T20 matches before the Champions Trophy as an Indian team, so we will look to set standards as an Indian team (as to) how we approach the next three months leading up to the Champions Trophy," she added.