Harmanpreet Kaur has stepped down as captain of India's women's cricket team across all three formats, bringing down the curtain on a leadership tenure that peaked with India's maiden women's ODI World Cup title last year.
The 37-year-old announced her decision in an Instagram post on Tuesday, a day after she met BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia in Guwahati along with vice-captain Smriti Mandhana and head coach Amol Muzumdar to discuss the roadmap for the women's team.
Having led India in five Tests, 51 ODIs and 155 T20Is, Harmanpreet said the demands of captaincy had at times come at the expense of her own game, adding that she was leaving the team in a good place and was ready to play for the love of the game again.
Harmanpreet first captained India in T20Is in 2012 and took over the role full-time from Mithali Raj in 2018. Under her leadership, India reached the T20 World Cup semifinals in the Caribbean that year and finished runners-up in Australia in 2020. Her last assignment as captain was India's successful Asian Games campaign in Nisshin last month, where the team retained the gold medal.
Her decision clears the decks for Smriti Mandhana to take over, starting with India's home series against Zimbabwe next week, The Hindu reported. The clamour for Mandhana to succeed her has grown in recent months, with the left-hander also establishing her credentials as captain of Royal Challengers Bengaluru in the Women's Premier League.
Sources:
Harmanpreet Kaur steps down as captain of India women's team — The Hindu
Harmanpreet Kaur resigns captaincy, Smriti Mandhana successor — Mathrubhumi
The 37-year-old announced her decision in an Instagram post on Tuesday, a day after she met BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia in Guwahati along with vice-captain Smriti Mandhana and head coach Amol Muzumdar to discuss the roadmap for the women's team.
Having led India in five Tests, 51 ODIs and 155 T20Is, Harmanpreet said the demands of captaincy had at times come at the expense of her own game, adding that she was leaving the team in a good place and was ready to play for the love of the game again.
Harmanpreet first captained India in T20Is in 2012 and took over the role full-time from Mithali Raj in 2018. Under her leadership, India reached the T20 World Cup semifinals in the Caribbean that year and finished runners-up in Australia in 2020. Her last assignment as captain was India's successful Asian Games campaign in Nisshin last month, where the team retained the gold medal.
Her decision clears the decks for Smriti Mandhana to take over, starting with India's home series against Zimbabwe next week, The Hindu reported. The clamour for Mandhana to succeed her has grown in recent months, with the left-hander also establishing her credentials as captain of Royal Challengers Bengaluru in the Women's Premier League.
Sources:
Harmanpreet Kaur steps down as captain of India women's team — The Hindu
Harmanpreet Kaur resigns captaincy, Smriti Mandhana successor — Mathrubhumi
