“Yes, of course” - Vice‑captain Smriti Mandhana 'ready' to lead India

India’s vice‑captain Smriti Mandhana has declared she is “ready” to lead the national team whenever the opportunity arises. Mandhana has long served as deputy to skipper Harmanpreet Kaur and has stepped in as stand‑in captain on multiple occasions.

The comments come against the backdrop of India’s second consecutive early exit at the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup. Under Harmanpreet’s leadership, India bowed out after a six‑wicket defeat to Australia in their final group‑stage fixture at Lord’s, London.

India had also endured a group‑stage exit at the 2024 edition in the UAE, losing to New Zealand by 58 runs and Australia by nine runs. The back‑to‑back disappointments sparked speculation that Mandhana might be elevated to captaincy. However, the selectors chose to back Harmanpreet when naming the squad for the Asian Games in Japan.

Asked during an interview with the Times of India whether she felt prepared to take charge, Mandhana was unequivocal:

“Yes, of course. I am ready.”

She also reflected on India’s premature exit from the 2026 T20 World Cup, stressing the need for introspection and long‑term planning.

“It’s important to introspect and learn from mistakes. Unfortunately, we haven’t learnt enough from our past errors and have continued to repeat them. Going forward, there needs to be a clear roadmap until the 2028 T20 World Cup on how we want to approach the format and what we need to do as a team.”

Mandhana has already won two titles (2024 and 2026) for Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) in the Women's Premier League (WPL) and has a win percentage of 51.43%. She has also stepped in for Harmanpreet in both ODIs and T20Is when needed and has had a taste of India's leadership duties.

Mandhana has a 100% win record in ODIs, having won four out of four games as captain. She has also captained the Women in Blue in 18 T20Is with 11 wins, six losses and a no result.