Smriti Mandhana will begin her tenure as India’s full-time captain with two significant milestones in sight when the team takes on Zimbabwe in a three-match T20I series starting Thursday in Raipur. The Indian opener is 133 runs away from becoming the first cricketer, across men’s and women’s international cricket, to score 5,000 runs in T20Is.
Mandhana has accumulated 4,867 runs in 179 T20I appearances since making her debut in 2013. Her record includes two centuries and 37 half-centuries, with an average of 31 and a strike rate of 127.47. With three matches scheduled against Zimbabwe, she has an opportunity to reach the landmark during the series.
The 29-year-old already holds the record for the most runs in women’s T20I cricket, having surpassed New Zealand’s Suzie Bates in September. Crossing 5,000 runs would take her achievement into uncharted territory across the format. Pakistan’s Babar Azam, the leading run-scorer in men’s T20Is, has 4,596 runs.
The series also marks a new chapter in Mandhana’s international career. She takes over from Harmanpreet Kaur, who stepped down as India captain earlier this month after leading the team to gold at the Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya. Mandhana has previously captained India as a stand-in, winning 11 of her 18 T20Is in charge and all four ODIs.
Her leadership experience also includes the Women’s Premier League, where she guided Royal Challengers Bengaluru to two titles. The Zimbabwe series will offer her the chance to establish her approach as India’s full-time captain while maintaining the team’s momentum following a successful run in international cricket.
The tour is historic in its own right, marking the first bilateral women’s international series between India and Zimbabwe. The three T20Is will be played in Raipur on October 16, 18 and 20, followed by three ODIs in Vadodara on October 23, 25 and 28.
For Mandhana, the immediate challenge is to lead India through a new phase while remaining within reach of a milestone no batter has achieved in T20 internationals.
