India women’s cricket team captain Smriti Mandhana wants to use the upcoming six-match series against Zimbabwe to fine-tune the team’s T20I approach and establish clear standards ahead of the inaugural Women’s Champions Trophy in February 2027.The series will mark Mandhana’s first assignment as India’s full-time captain, with the hosts beginning their campaign with three T20Is from October 16, followed by three ODIs. India will look to use the series to assess their combinations and address areas that need improvement in the shortest format.“The first bilateral (series) with Zimbabwe, I think, it is very exciting. It is our first time playing with them, Sometimes, playing with Zimbabwe and all the Associate nations, it feels like you can learn a lot from them as well because they enjoy playing their cricket,” Mandhana told reporters.Mandhana emphasised that the team would use the three T20Is to establish a clear blueprint for its approach in the coming months, with preparations for the Champions Trophy gathering pace.“Sometimes, we get into a lot of things professionally. You can learn a lot from them. But again, we have six T20 matches before the Champions Trophy as an Indian team so, we will look to set standards as an Indian team (as to) how do we approach the next three months leading up to the Champions Trophy,” she added.

Mandhana identifies areas for improvement in T20Is

India have enjoyed considerable success in recent international cricket, but Mandhana believes the team still has work to do in the T20I format.“We have won the World Cup in the last one-and-a-half-year but there were few things which we needed to work in the T20 format especially,” she said.The India captain also praised the contributions of players who have come into the side, highlighting their performances as a positive for the team. While acknowledging that several aspects needed attention, she preferred to focus on the positives at the beginning of her captaincy tenure.“But I would say our strength has been the players who have come in. They have done extremely well. On the first day, I wouldn’t really want to talk about weaknesses in a way,” Mandhana said.“There is a lot of things we need to work on. We need a lot of things to get in place. But I think today is the day to talk about good and positive stuff,” she added.

India vs Zimbabwe: Full series schedule

The Zimbabwe tour will feature three T20Is followed by three ODIs. All three T20Is will be played in Raipur, while Vadodara will host the ODI leg.