Smriti Mandhana declares herself 'ready' for India women's captaincy

Smriti Mandhana has declared her readiness to lead the Indian women's cricket team across all formats, responding affirmatively when asked about her willingness to accept captaincy amid leadership change discussions. The vice-captain made this declaration in a recent interview, signalling her clear ambition to assume the role whenever the opportunity arises.

Mandhana delivered a commanding performance at Lord's in the first women's Test ever hosted at the venue, scoring 83 in India's first innings and 70 in the second as the team secured a 270-run victory, India's fourth-highest margin of victory by runs in women's Tests. She reached the milestone of 300 international matches at age 29, becoming the youngest woman in cricket history to achieve the feat.

"Yes, of course. I'm ready," Mandhana told TOI when asked directly about her readiness for the captaincy.

"For me, creating a positive team culture is most important. Every player should feel comfortable expressing themselves and being who they are. When people feel valued and trusted, they tend to perform better," she added, outlining her clear leadership philosophy.

The RCB captain, who has guided her franchise to WPL titles in 2024 and 2026, has shaped her vision through her captaincy experience in the league. Mandhana also addressed India's repeated failures in recent T20 tournaments.

"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," she said.

The Asian Games 2026 cricket schedule was announced, with women's matches set to be held between September 17 and 22 in Japan, offering the Indian women their next opportunity to shine on the continental stage following their Lord's triumph. Smriti will be the vice-captain of the Indian contingent, with Harmanpreet Kaur as the wrecker-in-chief.