Archive · 8 Oct 2026
Smriti Mandhana’s Quiet Leadership Faces New Test as India Captain
Smriti Mandhana is known for staying calm and setting a good example.
Shikha Pandey remembers her being thoughtful and responsible even when she was young.
Coach RX Muralidhar says Mandhana listens to players and gives each person the kind of help they need.
He recalls her bringing a team together to rethink its plan after it lost two games.
Mandhana has led Royal Challengers Bengaluru to two Women’s Premier League titles.
Now she will captain India in all formats.
She will need to guide different players while continuing to focus on her batting.
The challenge is to keep the team united and remain the same player.
Shikha Pandey says Mandhana showed calmness, maturity, tactical awareness and responsibility as a young cricketer.
Pandey praised Mandhana’s leadership by example and said she invites teammates to share ideas and tactics.
Coach RX Muralidhar describes Mandhana as empathetic and attentive to players’ different needs.
Muralidhar recalled Mandhana rallying a team to change its approach after consecutive defeats.
After leading Royal Challengers Bengaluru to two Women’s Premier League titles, Mandhana is set to lead India across all formats.
- Who
- Smriti Mandhana, with observations from Shikha Pandey and coach RX Muralidhar.
- What
- Mandhana is taking charge of India across all formats, with former teammates and a coach describing her leadership style.
- When
- The article discusses her leadership career, including her first playing with Pandey before the 2014 T20 World Cup.
- Where
- India’s national cricket team; the article also refers to Mandhana’s leadership at Royal Challengers Bengaluru.
- Why
- Mandhana is set to lead India across three formats, bringing a calm, player-focused approach while balancing captaincy with batting.
Leadership strengths
Leadership challenges
Leading India across formats
Leadership strengths
Pandey and Muralidhar describe Mandhana as calm, tactically aware, empathetic and able to bring a team together.
Leadership challenges
The article says she must handle different personalities and expectations, make decisions that may not please everyone, and keep the dressing room united.
Balancing captaincy and batting
Leadership strengths
Muralidhar believes Mandhana separates her roles well and remains focused as a batter.
Leadership challenges
The article identifies preserving her batting while carrying the responsibilities of captaincy as an ongoing challenge.
- New role
- Mandhana is set to captain India across all formats.
- Earlier international context
- Pandey first played with Mandhana in a T20 series against Bangladesh ahead of the 2014 T20 World Cup.
- Leadership record cited
- Mandhana led Royal Challengers Bengaluru to two Women’s Premier League titles over the last four seasons.
- Pandey’s assessment
- She described Mandhana as calm, composed, tactically aware and responsible.
- Muralidhar’s assessment
- He said Mandhana understands players’ needs and adapts her support to individuals.
- Leadership challenge
- Mandhana must lead across formats while managing different personalities and ensuring captaincy does not affect her batting.