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

Dr. Annelies De Vos · 2026-10-07

The BCCI just dropped India's women's squads for the 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. And yes, Harmanpreet Kaur is still in both squads, even after stepping down as captain earlier that same day. ### The Series at a Glance So here's how it all shakes out: three T20Is in Raipur, then three ODIs in Vadodara. The whole thing runs from October 16 to October 28. The T20Is kick off on the 16th, with matches on the 18th and 20th. Then the action shifts to Vadodara for the ODIs on October 23, 25, and 28. Mark your calendars, folks. ### T20I Squad: New Blood and a Few Surprises Niki Prasad is the name everyone's talking about. She captained India to the Under-19 World Cup title in Malaysia in 2025, and now she's on the verge of her senior debut. In the recent series against Australia A, she showed she can do it all—an unbeaten 54 in the second T20, a 76 off 71 balls in the third one-dayer, 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. That's the kind of performance that gets you noticed. Jintimani Kalita's inclusion, though, came out of nowhere. She didn't pick up many wickets on the A tour of England in June-July, and her returns against Australia A weren't much better. 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 are out: Bharti Fulmali, Shreyanka Patil, Renuka Singh, and Radha Yadav. Minnu Mani and Anushka Sharma join Prasad and Kalita as replacements. Shafali Verma will be Mandhana's deputy 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: More Changes, More Questions The ODI squad looks quite different from the last time India played the format in Australia earlier this year. G Kamalini, Jemimah Rodrigues, Amanjot Kaur, Sneh Rana, and Kashvee Gautam are all missing from this group. Rodrigues, in particular, has been out with a high-grade right hamstring tear she suffered while playing for Southern Brave in the women's Hundred. That injury also kept her out of the Asian Games. In come Tejal Hasabnis, Yastika Bhatia, Vaishnavi Sharma, Nandani Sharma, and Sayali Satghare. Nandani is the standout here—she already has T20I caps and was part of the Asian Games gold-winning side. She also performed well at the women's T20 Asia Cup in Dubai in August-September, which India won. She's been one of the most promising fast-bowling prospects in the country lately. Deepti Sharma will serve as vice-captain for 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 Future This series is a big deal for India's women's team. With Mandhana at the helm and a mix of seasoned pros and fresh faces, it's a chance to see how the team shapes up for future challenges. The selectors are clearly looking ahead, giving opportunities to players who've shown promise in domestic and A-team cricket. It's a bold move, and it'll be fascinating to see how it pays off. So there you have it—the squads are set, the schedule is locked in, and the excitement is building. Keep an eye on these new faces; they might just become household names by the time this series is over.