Deepti Sharma says she will ease Smriti Mandhana’s load as vice-captain ahead of home ODI series v Zimbabwe

Deepti Sharma said she wants to ease captain Smriti Mandhana’s workload as India’s newly appointed vice-captain ahead of the three-match ODI series against Zimbabwe, which begins on Friday at home. The appointments follow Harmanpreet Kaur’s decision to step down as captain across formats, with Mandhana named captain of India’s women’s white-ball teams and Deepti named her deputy for the ODI series.

Speaking on the eve of the series opener, Deepti said she welcomed the added responsibility and viewed it as an opportunity to support her teammates. "When you get a new role, I take it as a challenge. When this news came, I felt good that I could help the other players as much as possible for the team. So, when I got this role, I was very happy," she said. She added: "My mindset is to win as many matches as possible for the team, whether as a player or as vice-captain. In this role, I can help Smriti as much as possible."

Deepti described the surface for the opening match as favourable to batters and said India would target a large total if they bat first. "The pitch is very good. From the training session we had, we know it will be a good batting track. We have played so many matches, and our team knows very well how the wickets are going to be and what the conditions will be. So, we are pretty sure about what to expect," she said. "We will think of scoring more than 300. But it will still depend on what happens after the toss and what kind of wicket we get. That will also be in our minds. But if we bat first, we will score at least 300," she added.

India had not finalised their playing combination for the first ODI, with Deepti saying the selection would be made close to the start of the match. "The combination will be known just before the game. It will be good for the team if we can settle on a good combination, whether as bowlers or batters. Whatever combination we choose will be good for the team," she said. She emphasised continuity in selection across formats: "Whether it is T20Is or ODIs, we always try to do well as a team, and we are doing that. There is no need for unnecessary changes. Whatever we have been doing well, we want to repeat."

Deepti cautioned against underestimating Zimbabwe, noting the visitors present a different-looking side and possess players who can influence matches. "We are playing against them for the first time, but they look like a different team. They have new players and have built a new team. But the way they have played in T20s, they have some very good players," she said. She added: "You get to learn something from them because they are very good hitters."

The three-match ODI series opens on Friday, with India expected to confirm their XI just before the first game.