India's Zimbabwe Series Squads: The New Faces You Need to Watch

Dr. Annelies De Vos · 2026-10-07

The BCCI has just dropped India's women's squads for the upcoming home series against Zimbabwe, and let me tell you, there's a lot to unpack here. Smriti Mandhana is stepping into her first full-time captaincy role, and she's bringing some fresh talent along for the ride. Niki Prasad and Jintimani Kalita are the new names in the T20I squad, while Nandani Sharma has earned her first ODI call-up. Meanwhile, Harmanpreet Kaur, who stepped down as captain across formats earlier the same day, remains in both 15-member squads. So, it's a mix of experience and youth—always an interesting combination. ### Series Schedule: T20Is in Raipur, ODIs in Vadodara The tour kicks off with three T20Is in Raipur on October 16, 18, and 20. Then, the action moves to Vadodara for three ODIs on October 23, 25, and 28. All matches are in India, so if you're in the U.S., you might need to set those early alarms or stay up late. But trust me, it'll be worth it. ### T20I Squad: Prasad and Kalita Join the Mix Niki Prasad is a name you'll want to remember. She captained India to the Under-19 World Cup title in Malaysia in 2025 and is now on the verge of her senior debut. In the recent series against Australia A, she showed her all-round skills: an unbeaten 54 in the second T20, 76 off 71 balls in the third one-day game, plus four wickets. And in the four-day match, she scored 91 in the first innings and took seven wickets for 77 runs, including a five-wicket haul in the second innings. That's some serious talent. Jintimani Kalita's inclusion might raise a few eyebrows. She didn't pick up many wickets on the A tour of England in June-July, and her performances against Australia A at home were similar. But the selectors see something in her, so let's give her a chance. Four players from the Asian Games gold medal-winning T20I squad have dropped out: Bharti Fulmali, Shreyanka Patil, Renuka Singh, and Radha Yadav. Minnu Mani and Anushka Sharma come in alongside Prasad and Kalita as replacements. Shafali Verma has been appointed vice-captain for the T20Is. Here's the full T20I squad: - Smriti Mandhana (capt) - Shafali Verma (vice-capt) - Niki Prasad - Harmanpreet Kaur - Anushka Sharma - Richa Ghosh (wk) - G Kamalini (wk) - Deepti Sharma - Prema Rawat - N Shree Charani - Nandani Sharma - Kranti Gaud - Arundhati Reddy - Jintimani Kalita - Minnu Mani ### ODI Squad: Nandani Sharma Added, Deepti Named Vice-Captain The ODI squad sees more changes. When India last played ODIs, on their tour of Australia in February-March this year, G Kamalini, Jemimah Rodrigues, Amanjot Kaur, Sneh Rana, and Kashvee Gautam were all in the line-up. None of them feature this time. Jemimah Rodrigues has been out of action since she suffered a high-grade right hamstring tear while playing for Southern Brave in the women's Hundred earlier this year. The injury also kept her out of India's Asian Games campaign. It's a tough break, but hopefully she'll be back soon. Tejal Hasabnis, Yastika Bhatia, Vaishnavi Sharma, Nandani Sharma, and Sayali Satghare are the five new inclusions. Nandani already has T20I caps and was part of the side that won Asian Games gold in Nisshin. She performed well at the women's T20 Asia Cup in Dubai in August-September, which India won, and again at the Asian Games. She's been among the most promising fast-bowling prospects in the country recently. Deepti Sharma will serve as vice-captain in the ODIs. Here's the full ODI squad: - Smriti Mandhana (capt) - Shafali Verma - Pratika Rawal - Harmanpreet Kaur - Harleen Deol - Tejal Hasabnis - Deepti Sharma (vice-capt) - Richa Ghosh (wk) - Yastika Bhatia (wk) - Vaishnavi Sharma - Nandani Sharma - N Shree Charani - Kranti Gaud - Sayali Satghare - Renuka Singh ### What This Means for the Series With Mandhana at the helm, this series is a chance for her to stamp her authority as captain. The inclusion of new faces like Prasad and Nandani Sharma adds excitement and unpredictability. Zimbabwe might not be the strongest opponent, but these matches are crucial for building depth and giving youngsters international exposure. As the great cricketer Rahul Dravid once said, "You don't play for revenge, you play for respect and pride." This series is all about pride and preparing for future challenges. So, mark your calendars for October 16. Whether you're a die-hard fan or just curious, this series promises to be a fascinating watch. And who knows? We might just witness the emergence of the next superstar.