New Delhi, October 19, 2026 (Yes Punjab News)
Former India leg-spinner Poonam Yadav believes the Smriti Mandhana-led Indian women’s team has the potential to win next year’s Champions Trophy, scheduled to be held at home, provided the players continue to learn from their mistakes and improve with every match.
Poonam’s assessment comes after India thrashed Zimbabwe by nine wickets in the second T20I at the Shaheed Veer Narayan Singh International Stadium on Sunday night, taking an unassailable 2-0 lead in the three-match series.
India bounced back strongly after a batting collapse in the series opener, when the team eventually chased down a target of 115 with four wickets to spare. In the second match, captain Smriti Mandhana and vice-captain Shafali Verma put together a 96-run opening partnership to guide India to the target of 103 in just 8.5 overs.
Speaking on JioStar, Poonam said the emphatic victory reflected the team’s ability to assess its shortcomings and make the necessary adjustments.
“This dominating and commanding victory of India in this second T20I against Zimbabwe shows that they did their homework in the right manner. They made a lot of mistakes in the first match of the series and that was okay because these players were playing for the first time against Zimbabwe and they were not really familiar with their bowlers.
“But coming into the second match of this series, it was important for the Indian team to learn from their mistakes and they did exactly that. They didn’t repeat the mistakes and that is the sign of a team being led by a good captain,” Poonam said.
Mandhana, who was dismissed for nine in the opening match, responded with an unbeaten 47 off 25 deliveries in the second T20I. Shafali, meanwhile, produced an aggressive knock of 55 off just 24 balls to help India complete the chase comfortably.
Poonam praised Mandhana’s footwork and use of the crease, highlighting how the left-handed opener combined with Shafali to dominate the Zimbabwean bowling attack.
“She used her feet well, utilised the depth of the crease and forged an excellent partnership with Shafali. If India keeps improving like this game after game, then I see no reason why they cannot go on to win the Champions Trophy next year,” she added.
Poonam also described Mandhana and Shafali as the backbone of India’s batting, pointing to their ability to combine timing with power in the shortest format.
“Smriti Mandhana and Shafali Verma have become the pillars of Indian batting. A good batting pair in T20 Internationals have the ability to score not just through power, but also through timing. These two do exactly that.
“They bat as per the demands of the situation, which makes batting look easy and doesn’t give the opposition bowlers a chance to dominate them. In the previous game, both Shafali and Smriti got dismissed early, but in this match, they were having none of that, as both of them played good knocks, built a strong partnership, and set the platform for the run chase,” she said.
Poonam added that the opening pair’s determination to respond to their early dismissals in the first match was evident in their commanding performance.
“The way this partnership was stitched by Smriti and Shafali, that hunger was evident in them, that ‘We had made a mistake in the last match, but we won’t give you the chance to dismiss us cheaply every time,’” she added.
The third and final T20I between India and Zimbabwe will be played at the same venue on Tuesday.
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