India’s new T20I captain Smriti Mandhana and vice-captain Shafali Verma have added 4,080 runs together as openers, 50% more than any other pair in women’s T20Is.
India’s two leaders are also its openers. On October 6, Smriti was named India’s white-ball captain and Shafali her deputy in T20 Internationals (T20Is). Among the 10 pairs with 1,000-plus runs, none scores faster. England’s Danni Wyatt and Sophia Dunkley come closest (8.23 an over) but average 28; South Africa’s Laura Wolvaardt and Tazmin Brits average 44.4 but score at 6.85. Only Oman’s pair, over just 20 innings, is ahead on both counts. The pairing has changed Smriti too: with Mithali Raj, she opened at 7.07 an over; with Shafali, 8.34. India won 60 of the 100 completed matches in which this pair opened, but their results varied sharply with the size of the opening stand. When the pair added fewer than 20 runs, India won 51% of matches; for stands of 20-49, the figure was 50%. But once they crossed 50, India won 24 of 29 matches (83%). Until the stand reaches 50, India’s win rate barely shifts; beyond it, their chances improve sharply.
Their partnership is already the most productive in the format. The appointment puts India’s most crucial phase in the hands of its leaders, but carries a risk. When India meets Zimbabwe in Raipur from October 16, they will face the first ball together. Ball-by-ball data for every women’s T20I till October 7 show that in 107 innings since 2019, the two have added 4,080 runs for the first wicket, averaging 39.2 runs per dismissal at 8.34 runs an over. After a dip in 2023, when they scored at 7.04 an over, the pair has averaged 48 runs an innings at 9.27 an over since January 2025, against 34 at 7.91 before. Their 973 runs in 2026 are the most in any year. In 18% of their innings together, both fell for under 15, leaving India without its captain and vice-captain early. Yet in 65% of innings, at least one scored 30 or more.
