Sports · Cricket · 2 hrs ago
Mandhana begins India captaincy as Zimbabwe tour offers 5,000-run chance
Smriti Mandhana begins her first series as India’s full-time captain when the women’s team hosts Zimbabwe.
The tour opens with three T20Is in Raipur from October 16 to 20, followed by three one-day internationals in Vadodara.
Mandhana has been vice-captain for nearly a decade and takes over from Harmanpreet Kaur, who remains part of the team.
She is 133 runs short of 5,000 T20I runs, a mark no batter has reached before.
The series is also Zimbabwe’s first bilateral women’s cricket tour of India; its one-day matches count toward the ICC Women’s Championship.
India will use the games to assess players and combinations, including options at No.
3, before travelling to South Africa in December.
Smriti Mandhana is 133 runs short of becoming the first batter to score 5,000 runs in T20I cricket.
She has scored 4,867 runs in 179 T20I matches.
India begin a three-match T20I series against Zimbabwe on October 16.
The series is Mandhana’s first as India’s full-time captain.
The T20Is will be played in Raipur on October 16, 18 and 20.
- Who
- Smriti Mandhana and India’s women’s cricket team face Zimbabwe.
- What
- Mandhana is 133 runs short of becoming the first batter to reach 5,000 T20I runs.
- When
- The three-match T20I series is scheduled for October 16, 18 and 20, 2026.
- Where
- The T20Is will be played in Raipur, India.
- Why
- Mandhana can reach the 5,000-run milestone during the series, which also begins her tenure as India’s full-time captain.
This story does not have two clearly opposing sides.
Mandhana made her T20I debut.
BCCI Women posted about Mandhana’s first day of training as India captain.
India are scheduled to begin the T20I series against Zimbabwe in Raipur.
The second and third T20Is are scheduled to be played in Raipur.
Three ODIs are scheduled to follow in Vadodara.
- Runs to milestone
- 133
- T20I runs
- 4,867
- T20I matches
- 179
- T20I series venue
- Raipur
- T20I series dates
- October 16, 18 and 20, 2026
- ODI venue and dates
- Vadodara; October 23, 25 and 28, 2026
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Taking charge to 𝙪𝙨𝙝𝙚𝙧 𝙞𝙣 𝙖 𝙣𝙚𝙬 𝙚𝙧𝙖 ✨🫡 🎥 Soak in Smriti Mandhana's 1️⃣st day in training as #TeamIndia Captain 🇮🇳 #INDvZIM | @mandhana_smriti | @mflone_