'Staying there more important than getting there' – Mandhana reflects on ICC No.1 ODI ranking

Harmanpreet Kaur, India's regular T20I skipper, has been ruled out of the series with an ankle injury. Mandhana, 22, was at the helm for England's tour fixture against Indian Board President's Women XI, which the visitors won by two wickets.

When asked if the leadership mantle has brought any changes to her approach, Mandhana said, "The preparation won't change, because as a vice-captain, I have been attending all meetings of strategies for the last two years.

"The only thing that will change is that I will make extra effort to talk to the bowlers. Otherwise, it's going to be the same routine that I follow. I have been playing under a lot of captains for the last four-five years and have been able to learn from them. I am really looking forward to helping every teammate grow in any way they want."

Uncapped pacer Komal Zanzad, who represents Vidarbha in domestic cricket, has been included in India's 15-man squad for the series. The left-arm seamer impressed in the practice game, returning 3/14 with the ball. "She has been really good," acknowledged Mandhana on Sunday, 3 March, the eve of the first T20I.

"She had a good Challenger's Trophy. I played with her for the Board President's XI against England and was really impressed with the way she was bowling. She definitely has a bright future."

India had a mixed bag of results in their recent tour of New Zealand, where they won the ODI series 2-1 but crumbled for a 3-0 sweep in the T20Is. Their performances with the willow were a major concern in the series, as they failed to cross 160 on all three occasions.

**"**Me and [WV] Raman sir have spoken about the things we lacked on the New Zealand tour," explained Mandhana. "Our batting order will be shaping [up] for the next World Cup. It's an exciting time. We have a young side and we will see where all the players will be after 6-8 months."

Mandhana, who has amassed 799 runs at an average of 66.58 in the last 12 months, recently rose to No.1 in the MRF Tyres ICC Women's ODI Rankings for Batting. "As a kid, when you start playing, you think of winning the World Cup. And when you have individual targets, they would be of getting to the ICC World No.1," she said.

"It was really pleasing. Staying there is much more important than getting there. It was one of my small, individual goals. The World Cup is definitely a major goal."

All three T20Is between India and England will be played at the Barsapara Cricket Stadium in Guwahati, a relatively small town in the Indian village of Assam. "I think it's a brilliant initiative. Since we've landed in Guwahati, the reception has been amazing," gushed Mandhana.

"All the players are really happy with the kind of response the people are giving us. This will help women's cricket in a big way. Baroda was really amazing when we played last year. We got a crowd of 15,000-18,000 there."