Fresh off playing a leading role in India’s historic victory over England in the first-ever women’s Test at Lord’s, vice-captain Smriti Mandhana says she is ready to take on the India captaincy if the opportunity arises, while also calling for a clearer long-term approach to the T20 format following another disappointing World Cup campaign.
Mandhana, who scored 83 and 70 across the two innings at Lord’s to lay the foundation for India’s landmark 270-run victory, reflected on the significance of the occasion and the direction she believes the team needs to take going forward. Speaking in an interview with TOI, the 29-year-old admitted that leading the national side is a responsibility she is prepared for amid growing discussions around a future leadership transition. “Yes, of course. I am ready.”
The straightforward response comes after Mandhana has enjoyed sustained success as captain of Royal Challengers Bengaluru in the Women’s Premier League, guiding the franchise to back-to-back titles. While Harmanpreet Kaur continues to lead India, Mandhana’s leadership credentials have increasingly come into focus following another successful domestic season and her consistent performances across formats.
Her latest contributions came in India’s historic Test triumph at Lord’s, where she struck fluent half-centuries in both innings before Yastika Bhatia’s maiden international century and Kranti Gaud’s seven-wicket match haul sealed India’s first Test victory at the iconic venue. Looking back on that occasion, Mandhana described the match as one she had dreamt about since childhood.
“It was amazing to be part of the first-ever women’s Test at Lord’s and, more importantly, to win it. Contributing to a historic victory for India was special. As kids, we all dreamt of playing Test cricket, so to do it at Lord’s made it even more memorable.”
Mandhana also revealed the advice she offered teammate Yastika Bhatia during the wicketkeeper-batter’s lengthy recovery from an ACL injury, which ruled her out of the home ODI World Cup and the WPL. Bhatia returned to score a memorable maiden international century at Lord’s and later credited Mandhana’s support for helping her through the rehabilitation process.
“Any knee injury is extremely difficult for a player. In Yastika’s case, it happened before a home World Cup, which made it even tougher. I told her how my own ACL injury in 2017 helped me grow both as a person and an athlete. Some of my best cricket came after that setback. I felt she would connect with that and stay motivated through the rehabilitation process.”
While India’s Test performances have continued to impress, Mandhana acknowledged that the side’s repeated failures at ICC T20 World Cups remain a concern. India exited the recent tournament before the knockout stage, extending a pattern of falling short on the biggest stage despite possessing one of the strongest squads in world cricket.
Rather than dwelling solely on the latest disappointment, Mandhana said the team must learn from recurring mistakes and establish a defined roadmap ahead of the next global event. “It’s important to introspect and learn from mistakes. Unfortunately, we haven’t learnt enough from our past errors and have continued to repeat them. Going forward, there needs to be a clear roadmap until the 2028 T20 World Cup on how we want to approach the format and what we need to do as a team.”
Mandhana also backed the Women’s Premier League as a competition that has unearthed significant talent for India, although she felt several players have not always been used to their full potential at international level. She added that creating a positive dressing-room culture has been central to her leadership philosophy with Royal Challengers Bengaluru, believing players perform best when they feel trusted and valued.
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