The India women's cricket team is all set to face Zimbabwe in six white-ball matches, starting October 16 in Raipur. The series marks the beginning of the leadership era for Smriti Mandhana, who has taken over as India's full-time all-format captain following the resignation of Harmanpreet Kaur.

Addressing the media on Wednesday (October 14), Mandhana expressed total confidence in stepping up to the top job, noting that it won't be a jarring change due to her long-standing presence in the core leadership group.

“I have been the vice-captain for the last almost 10 years. So, I have been part of the leadership role, and I wouldn’t say it is an extremely new thing. But for sure, it is something to look forward to, and hopefully, I can do justice to the role,” Mandhana told reporters.

The southpaw affirmed that wearing the captain's armband will not change her batting style, stating she will continue to trust her instincts and attack balls in her zone.

“I have become a captain on the field; there should be no changes in my batting. My coach used to tell me when I was 15 years old, ‘Whenever you bat, always think you are the captain. You always take that responsibility, and those things have never changed. If the ball is in the zone, I will still go for it. I will still play whatever (way) the team needs (me) to,” she added.

Having already led India in 18 T20Is and 4 ODIs as a stand-in skipper, Mandhana is well-accustomed to the pressures of international captaincy.

Outside of the national setup, her leadership credentials are stellar, notably having guided Royal Challengers Bengaluru to two Women's Premier League (WPL) titles.

Her immediate priority remains sharpening India's approach in the shortest format. While the team has excelled in ODIs—reinforced by their maiden 50-over World Cup triumph last year—she stressed the need for rigorous preparation ahead of the inaugural Women's Champions Trophy.

“The first bilateral (series) with Zimbabwe, I think, 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 said.

“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 we approach the next three months leading up to the Champions Trophy,” she remarked.