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Smriti Mandhana named India captain across formats after Harmanpreet Kaur steps down

Smriti Mandhana named India captain across formats after Harmanpreet Kaur steps down

Smriti Mandhana named India captain across formats after Harmanpreet steps down Photograph: (AFP)

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Smriti Mandhana has been appointed as the new all-format captain of the Indian women's cricket team following Harmanpreet Kaur stepping down. Read full details.

Opener Smriti Mandhana has been named India's all-format captain, hours after talismanic skipper Harmanpreet Kaur stepped down from leadership. Harmanpreet led India for nearly a decade, winning six multi-team ICC and ACC tournaments, including two gold medals at the Asian Games. Mandhana, her deputy during most of this period, had earlier led the women’s team in four ODIs and 18 T20Is. She has also captained Maharashtra in the domestic circuit and Royal Challengers Bengaluru in the Women’s Premier League (WPL).

Mandhana’s first assignment as a full-time captain is the limited-over series against Zimbabwe, starting with three T20Is on October 16.

Speaking on this opportunity to lead across formats, the left-handed opener was quoted as saying by the BCCI, "I would also like to acknowledge Harmanpreet and the contribution she has made as captain over the years. She has led the team with great commitment and has been an important part of our journey.

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"I understand the responsibility that comes with this role and look forward to working with the team, learning along the way and giving my best to take Indian cricket forward."

A review meeting on Monday in Guwahati—chaired by BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia and attended by Mandhana, Harmanpreet Kaur, and head coach Amol Mazumdar—led to Mandhana’s appointment as the all-format captain. The think tank worked on the roadmap, with an eye on next year’s inaugural Women’s Champions Trophy in February, followed by the T20 World Cup and LA28 Summer Games.

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In September this year, Mandhana surpassed former Indian captain Mithali Raj to become the leading run-scorer in international cricket across formats. India’s best all-format batter, Mandhana also has the most international hundreds (18) in women’s cricket. She is also the first Indian woman to score hundreds in all three formats.

White-Ball Squads for the Zimbabwe Series –

T20I Squad: Smriti Mandhana (captain), Shafali Verma (vice-captain), Niki Prasad, Harmanpreet Kaur, Anushka Sharma, Richa Ghosh (wk), G Kamalini (wk), Deepti Sharma, Prema Rawat, N Shree Charani, Nandani Sharma, Kranti Gaud, Arundhati Reddy, Jintimani Kalita and Minnu Mani

ODI Squad: Smriti Mandhana (captain), Shafali Verma, Pratika Rawal, Harmanpreet Kaur, Harleen Deol, Tejal Hasabnis, Deepti Sharma (vice-captain), Richa Ghosh (wk), Yastika Bhatia (wk), Vaishnavi Sharma, Nandani Sharma, N Shree Charani, Kranti Gaud, Sayali Satghare and Renuka Singh

About the Author

Gautam Sodhi

Meet Gautam, a seasoned journalist with over eight years of experience in covering the world of sports. I am a self-proclaimed cricket fanatic, having a deep passion for the game a...Read More