Smriti Mandhana for India [Source: AFP]After Harmanpreet Kaur left the captaincy of the Indian cricket team, Smriti Mandhana has taken the helm, and the upcoming six-match series against Zimbabwe is set to be her first assignment in the permanent capacity. Ahead of the series, Smriti Mandhana has established clear standards for the Women's Champions Trophy too, which is set to be played in February 2027.Smriti Mandhana sets clear standards ahead of Zimbabwe seriesSpeaking ahead of the series, Smriti Mandhana was pretty much clear on how the team looks to set the standards in the Zimbabwe series itself. Mandhana elaborated that the team would use the three T20Is to establish a massive roadmap for its approach in the coming months, which includes preparation for the Champions Trophy."The first bilateral (series) with Zimbabwe, I think, it is very exciting. It is our first time playing with them, Sometimes, playing with Zimbabwe and all the Associate nations, it feels like you can learn a lot from them as well because they enjoy playing their cricket," Mandhana told reporters.ALSO READBCCI President Mithun Manhas Brings Dhoni-Kohli Analogy To Explain Harman-Smriti Captaincy Change"Sometimes, we get into a lot of things professionally. You can learn a lot from them. But again, we have six T20 matches before the Champions Trophy as an Indian team so, we will look to set standards as an Indian team (as to) how do we approach the next three months leading up to the Champions Trophy," she added.Mandhana points out Team India’s weaknessSmriti Mandhana also identified India's weakness, but acknowledged the team's improvement in T20 cricket. Although the team has enjoyed considerable success in recent international cricket, Mandhana believes that the team still has to work in the format. "We have won the World Cup in the last one-and-a-half-year but there were few things which we needed to work in the T20 format especially," she said.Nevertheless, while pointing out the team's formidable work, the India captain has also praised the contributions of players who have come into the side, as she highlighted their performances as a positive for the team, while acknowledging the aspects that need attention to improve form."But I would say our strength has been the players who have come in. They have done extremely well. On the first day, I wouldn't really want to talk about weaknesses in a way," Mandhana said."There is a lot of things we need to work on. We need a lot of things to get in place. But I think today is the day to talk about good and positive stuff," she added.The Zimbabwe tour will feature three T20I matches followed by three ODI games, starting from October 16 in Raipur. The T20I leg will conclude on October 20, while the ODI series will begin on October 23 and will end on October 28.ALSO READIND Vs WI, 4th T20I Toss: Still No Vaibhav Sooryavanshi As India Go In With Unchanged XI
