India set to open Zimbabwe T20I series in Raipur

India’s women’s team is scheduled to open a three-match T20I series against Zimbabwe on Friday, October 16, in Raipur, with Smriti Mandhana leading the side as its full-time captain for the first time. The match is set to start at 7 p.m. local time at Shaheed Veer Narayan Singh International Stadium. The result and final playing XIs are not established in the available reports. The series opener is the first women’s T20I between India and Zimbabwe. The two remaining matches are scheduled for October 18 and 20, also at the Raipur stadium and at 7 p.m. local time. The fixture schedule lists all three games at the same venue. Mandhana’s appointment follows Harmanpreet Kaur stepping down as captain. Kaur remains in the squad, while Shafali Verma has been named vice-captain. The series is Mandhana’s first assignment as full-time captain, although she has previously led India in T20Is. She told reporters she had served as vice-captain for almost 10 years and hoped to do justice to the role. India’s squad also includes wicketkeeper-batter Richa Ghosh and all-rounder Deepti Sharma, alongside younger players including Anushka Sharma, Niki Prasad and Kranti Gaud. Jemimah Rodrigues is...