SportsPosted at: Oct 15 2026 6:52PM


India eye T20 reset under Mandhana against Zimbabwe

New Delhi, Oct 15 (UNI) India will begin a new chapter under captain Smriti Mandhana when they take on Zimbabwe in a three-match T20I series in Raipur from Friday, with the hosts looking to address their shortcomings in the shortest format.
The series will mark the first bilateral meeting between the two sides and offers India an opportunity to test their combinations and build towards upcoming international assignments.
India have continued to assert their dominance in Asian cricket, but they still have plenty of work to do at the global level, particularly in T20Is. Consecutive early exits from the T20 World Cup have exposed weaknesses that the team will need to address if it hopes to challenge stronger sides such as Australia consistently.
India enjoyed a landmark achievement by winning the ODI World Cup at home last year, but the task of claiming the inaugural Women's Champions Trophy at home early next year will present a different challenge.
India have often struggled to maintain momentum in the middle overs after explosive starts from Mandhana and Shafali Verma. The No. 3 position has also lacked stability, while the form of former captain Harmanpreet Kaur has been a concern.
Now playing as a specialist batter, Harmanpreet will be expected to deliver more consistently. India also need to develop additional power-hitters to complement wicketkeeper-batter Richa Ghosh in the lower order.
Fielding is another area that requires improvement, with lapses costing the team on several occasions.
The emergence of Chandigarh’s Nandni Sharma has been an encouraging development for India’s pace attack, but the team still needs greater penetration with the ball across all phases of a T20 innings.
Spin remains one of India’s traditional strengths, with young Shree Charani making an impression and experienced all-rounder Deepti Sharma continuing to trouble batters with her off-spin. Leg-spinner Prema Rawat could also benefit from an extended run as India look for regular wickets in the middle overs.
The series will provide opportunities for fresh faces Niki Prasad and Jintimani Kalita to make their mark.
Zimbabwe, meanwhile, will arrive with confidence after beating the West Indies in an ODI last month. Led by Josephine Nkomo, the visitors will look to make the most of their first bilateral series against India.
Following the three T20Is, the teams will travel to Vadodara for a three-match ODI series.
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