Smriti Mandhana is done hiding behind the World Cup trophy. The new full-time captain of the India women’s team is staring straight down the barrel of the 2027 Women’s Champions Trophy, and she knows exactly where the cracks are. "There are a few things we need to work on," she told reporters, cutting through the post-victory haze to address the specific deficiencies in the T20I format that slipped past the team despite their recent global success.NEWWARA The battleground for these fixes is clear: a six-match series against Zimbabwe kicking off October 16. It’s Mandhana’s first assignment as the permanent skipper, and she’s treating it less like a formality and more like a diagnostic test. The first three games—T20Is in Raipur—will serve as the blueprint for how India approaches the shortest format in the months leading up to the big one. The ODI leg follows in Vadodara, but the T20I window is where the real work happens.NEWWARA Mandhana’s strategy is blunt. She’s not looking for flashy wins; she’s looking for standards. "We have six T20 matches before the Champions Trophy as an Indian team so, we will look to set standards," she said. The focus is on establishing a clear approach for the next three months. While she praised the recent contributions of new players, the captain refused to dwell on weaknesses on day one of her tenure, preferring to highlight the positives while quietly setting the agenda for improvement.NEWWARA The schedule is tight. Three T20Is in Raipur at 7:00 PM IST on October 16, 18, and 20. Then, the format shifts to ODIs in Vadodara at 2:00 PM IST on October 23, 25, and 28. For India, this isn't just a tour; it's a pressure cooker to refine their T20I engine before the world watches.