Smriti Mandhana appointed all-format captain of India's women's team: Details
What's the story
Smriti Mandhana has been appointed as the captain of India's women's cricket team across all formats. The announcement comes after Harmanpreet Kaur stepped down from the role after nearly a decade in charge. Mandhana, who was Kaur's vice-captain for most of this period, has previously captained India in four One Day Internationals (ODIs) and 18 Twenty20 Internationals (T20Is).
Upcoming series
Mandhana's 1st assignment against Zimbabwe
Mandhana's first assignment as captain will be the limited-overs series against Zimbabwe. The three T20Is will be played in Raipur, starting October 16.
She was part of the selection meeting on Tuesday, chaired by Amita Sharma, to pick the squad for this tour.
The BCCI confirmed Mandhana's appointment on its website, highlighting her leadership qualities in domestic and franchise cricket.
Transition
Transition follows review meeting in Guwahati
In her welcome note, Mandhana termed the appointment a "special honor" and acknowledged Kaur's contributions as captain over the years.
She said, "I would also like to acknowledge Harmanpreet and the contribution she has made as captain over the years."
The transition comes after a review meeting in Guwahati on Monday, chaired by BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia with Kaur, head coach Amol Muzumdar, and vice-captain Smriti Mandhana.
Accomplishments
Mandhana's stellar record in international cricket
Mandhana, India's top all-format batter, has been a key player for the team since 2013.
She led Royal Challengers Bengaluru to their second Women's Premier League title earlier this year and is the leading run-scorer in women's international cricket across formats.
With 18 international hundreds, she also holds the record for most centuries in women's cricket.
Last month, Mandhana created history by becoming the first-ever player to score 11,000 runs in women's international cricket.
Stats
A look at Mandhana's numbers for Team India
Mandhana is also the highest run-scorer in Women's T20Is, having scored 4,867 runs from 179 WT20I matches (172 innings) at 31.
Mandhana is also among just the six players with 5,000 runs in WODI cricket.
She has slammed 5,411 runs from 120 matches at an average of 47.88.
Mandhana has also recorded 788 runs from nine Women's Tests for India. She averages a stunning 52.53.
Departure
Kaur steps down after nearly decade-long reign
Kaur announced her decision to step down as captain on Instagram, saying it was not an easy decision.
She has captained India in five Tests, 51 ODIs, and 155 T20Is.
The highlight of her tenure was winning India's first global title at the 2025 Women's ODI World Cup held at home.
Despite stepping down from captaincy, Kaur will continue to play for the team.