India Squad For Zimbabwe T20Is Announced; Shafali Verma Named Vice-Captain

India Women squad announced [Source: AFP]Smriti Mandhana is set to usher in a new era for Team India in the upcoming series against Zimbabwe. The legendary opening batter has been officially confirmed as the new national skipper in T20Is following the sudden resignation of Harmanpreet Kaur.Mere hours after Harmanpreet confirmed that she will be stepping down as skipper, the BCCI selection committee announced Team India squad for the upcoming three-match T20I series against Zimbabwe, set to be played between October 16 and October 20 in Raipur this month.Harmanpreet Kaur to play under Smriti Mandhana in T20I seriesHarmanpreet Kaur has led Team India in more than 150 T20I matches from 2012 until September 2026. Shortly after returning from Japan with an Asian Games gold medal, the senior pro confirmed that she will be stepping down as captain effective immediately.Her resignation has prompted the BCCI to name her long-time deputy Smriti Mandhana as India’s T20I captain going forward, and her first assignment as full-time leader will be to oversee the ‘Women in Blue’ in the upcoming T20I series against Zimbabwe. With Harmanpreet Kaur also being named in the 15-player squad, the series will mark the first instance for the World Cup winning skipper to play under the leadership of her protégé.ALSO READWhere Does Harmanpreet Kaur Rank Among Indian Captains With Most Matches In Tests, ODIs, T20Is?Notably, with Smriti Mandhana becoming new captain of the side, the BCCI selection committee named blistering opening batter Shafali Verma as India’s new vice-captain. The 15-player Indian squad for the T20I series against Zimbabwe also includes several other star attractions like fellow U19 World Cup winning skipper Niki Prasad, legendary all-rounder Deepti Sharma, attacking wicketkeeper-batter Richa Ghosh, in-form spinner Sree Charani among others. Here is a look at the complete Indian squad for the T20I series against Zimbabwe.India Women squad for T20I series vs Zimbabwe: Smriti Mandhana (c), Shafali Verma (vc), Niki Prasad, Harmanpreet Kaur, Anushka Sharma, Richa Ghosh (wk), G Kamalini (wk), Deepti Sharma, Prema Rawat, Sree Charani, Nandni Sharma, Kranti Gaud, Arundhati Reddy, Jintimani Kalita and Minnu Mani.Shafali Verma named vice-captainAs mentioned above, the BCCI has appointed Shafali Verma as the new vice-captain of the team owing to Smriti Mandhana’s sudden ascension. It is worth noting that Shafali already holds captaincy experience in her profile. Moreover, she was the captain of the Indian Under-19 women’s team that lifted the U19 Women’s World Cup 2023 a couple of years ago.With a new leadership duo at the helm, India will look to begin the next chapter of its T20I journey on a promising note when they take on Zimbabwe later this month.ALSO READNaman Dhir Creates Massive Bowling Record On T20I Debut For India