Smriti Mandhana will lead the Indian women’s team for the three-match ODI series against Ireland, starting January 10 in Rajkot. The announcement came after regular captain Harmanpreet Kaur and fast bowler Renuka Singh were rested to manage their workload.
India’s star opener Smriti Mandhana is within touching distance of top spot of both the T20I and ODI batting rankings after strong performances against the West Indies across both formats.
The difficult period for the Indian team started with a morale-shattering defeat to New Zealand in its opening match of the T20 World Cup. On Thursday, the team exacted revenge of sorts by beating the recently-crowned World Champions and taking a 1-0 lead in the three-match series.
India will go into the T20 World Cup under the captaincy of Harmanpreet Kaur, with Smriti Mandhana the vice-captain.
India stand-in captain Smriti Mandhana stated that the team won't take their semi-final opponent lightly after their group stage concluded on an unbeaten note.
India's best cricketers and future stars will be joined by international players from England, New Zealand, West Indies, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh in a four-match tri-series.
Heaping praises on Radha Yadav, Mandhana said she had developed into a very good T20 bowler.
England have already taken a lead of 1-0 in the ongoing T20I series against India.
The T20I series will be played in Guwahati from March 4.
Chasing a below-par 162, India broke little sweat with opener Smriti Mandhana (63) leading the charge in the company of skipper Mithali Raj (47 not out) and Punam Raut (32) to reach the target comfortably.
