Shafali Verma has stepped into India’s new leadership structure with a clear message: aggression will remain India’s identity, but it must now be paired with sharper planning as the team builds towards the inaugural ICC Women’s Champions Trophy in February 2027. Speaking ahead of India’s first T20I against Zimbabwe at the Shaheed Veer Narayan Singh International Stadium in Raipur on Friday, the 22-year-old all-rounder and newly appointed T20I vice-captain outlined a squad focused on growth, clarity and fearless execution.
India begin a historic maiden home white-ball bilateral series against Josephine Nkomo’s Zimbabwe on October 16, with the three-match T20I series running from October 16 to 28 before both teams move to Vadodara for three ODIs. It is also the start of Smriti Mandhana’s first full-time captaincy stint across all formats, following Harmanpreet Kaur’s decision to step down on the morning of October 6; Mandhana was appointed India’s all-format skipper later that evening.
For Shafali, the change has not altered India’s core philosophy. Instead, it has reinforced the need to evolve it. “We have spoken about it: in this series we have to play a fearless brand of cricket with smartness until the Champions Trophy,” Shafali told reporters in Raipur. “We have done a lot of meetings, so everyone knows what to do. We are just trying to keep growing series by series.”
That balance between freedom and structure will be central to India’s approach. With the Champions Trophy scheduled at home from February 14 to 28, 2027, every bilateral fixture now carries added significance. Shafali’s own rise makes her an apt voice for this transition: named ICC Women’s Player of the Month for September 2026, she beat teammate Shree Charani and Sri Lanka captain Chamari Athapaththu after influential displays in the Asia Cup and India’s Asian Games triumph.
It is the second time Shafali has received the monthly honour, having first won it in November last year during India’s successful ICC Women’s ODI World Cup triumph under skipper Harmanpreet Kaur and head coach Amol Muzumdar on home soil. Her T20I credentials underline why she is viewed as a natural deputy to Mandhana: 3,325 runs at a strike rate of 141 and an average of 30.22 in 118 innings, with 21 fifties and a century in 119 matches since her debut against South Africa in Surat on September 24, 2019.
Her development with the ball has added another dimension. Shafali has taken 22 T20I wickets with her off-spin at an average of 20.04 and an economy rate of 6.01 in 34 innings, offering India a genuine sixth bowling option. She believes that role was never accidental. “I have been bowling for Haryana since 2021, so it is not new to me,” she said. “I used to think that if I have to bowl for India one day, how should I prepare myself for it, and mentally I have been ahead only.”
Shafali also paid a heartfelt tribute to Harmanpreet, whose captaincy shaped much of India’s recent rise. “Harman provided a lot of growth to women’s cricket and the way it has shaped, it is all because of her,” she said. India will, however, begin this new era without middle-order batter Jemimah Rodrigues, who is recovering from injury. Shafali was quick to stress that the side’s depth has already been tested and proven. “Jemi is recovering, but in the Asia Cup and the Asian Games, we did not feel much (of her absence),” she said. “The way Richa Ghosh and Harman played, and now Niki Prasad has come in; hopefully she will do well, and we will keep trying out players.”
That willingness to experiment could define India’s build-up. With Mandhana leading, Shafali providing explosive top-order impetus and Deepti Sharma shouldering vice-captaincy duties in ODIs, India have a leadership group designed to combine experience with attacking intent.
Against Zimbabwe, India will be expected to dominate, but Shafali’s words suggest the series is about more than results. It is about setting standards, testing combinations and ensuring that the fearless cricket India has displayed and wants to play at the Champions Trophy is already taking shape under lights in Raipur.
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