India’s women’s cricket team completed a dominant 3-0 clean sweep against Zimbabwe in the three-match ODI series, winning the third match by eight wickets in Vadodara. However, a brief moment involving former captain Harmanpreet Kaur and current skipper Smriti Mandhana during the post-match handshakes attracted attention on social media.
As the players exchanged handshakes after the match, Harmanpreet appeared to approach Mandhana, who was looking in another direction. The two missed their handshake, and the brief interaction quickly became a talking point among cricket fans online. However, there is no clear evidence to suggest that the incident reflected any tension between the two Indian players. The moment was brief, and speculation about their relationship remains unsubstantiated.
Smriti Mandhana recently took over the captaincy from Harmanpreet following India’s Asian Games gold medal triumph. The Zimbabwe series marked an important assignment for the new skipper, who guided the team to convincing victories across both the ODI and T20I legs.
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Harmanpreet Kaur , meanwhile, continued to make valuable contributions with the bat. She scored 92 runs in two T20I innings at an impressive strike rate of 204.44 before adding 126 runs in the ODI series. Her standout performance came in the second ODI, where she struck a brilliant century to help India post a competitive total.
No handshake between Harman and Smriti ❌ 😳 https://t.co/Xgq79pnUbq
— RCB Xtra (@Rcb_Xtra) October 29, 2026
Mandhana had a relatively quieter ODI series with the bat but contributed 56 runs across two T20I innings. As she settles into her new leadership role, balancing her responsibilities as an opener and captain will remain a key focus.
Both players have established themselves as influential figures in Indian women’s cricket. Harmanpreet has scored more than 8,000 international runs across formats, including nine centuries, while Mandhana has accumulated over 9,000 runs and 18 international hundreds.
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Mandhana’s captaincy will now face another significant test during India’s upcoming multi-format tour of South Africa. The itinerary includes a one-off Test beginning on December 9, followed by three ODIs and three T20Is.
Before the Test, India are scheduled to play a tour match against South Africa Emerging Players Women at Willowmoore Park in Benoni on December 6. The South Africa tour will provide Mandhana with another opportunity to establish herself as India’s leader across formats while continuing her contributions with the bat.
