Photo via The Times of India

Mandhana era begins: Shafali Verma, Deepti Sharma named India vice-captains

Indian women’s cricket has entered a new leadership chapter with Smriti Mandhana officially named as the full-time captain across all formats, following Harmanpreet Kaur’s decision to step down from the role. Mandhana, who previously led India in 22 international matches and guided Royal Challengers Bengaluru to back-to-back Women’s Premier League titles in 2024 and 2026, will now be supported by Shafali Verma as T20I vice-captain and Deepti Sharma in the ODI side.

The trio will make their debut in charge during the upcoming home series against Zimbabwe, with the T20Is set to begin in Raipur on October 16 and the ODIs following in Vadodara from October 23. The squads feature several recent additions, including Niki Prasad, Minnu Mani, and Vaishnavi Sharma, while Jemimah Rodrigues remains sidelined due to injury.

Mandhana praised Harmanpreet’s contributions, acknowledging her pivotal role in the team’s development before taking over the reins herself.

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