Smriti Mandhana has been named the new captain of the Indian women’s cricket team, following Harmanpreet Kaur’s departure from the position in all forms. However, there has been some friction during the shift. A squad insider stated that the captaincy had been a cause of severe contention between the two senior players.
Harmanpreet Kaur, 37, a Moga native who took over as India’s captain in 2016, resigned following a review meeting with the BCCI. She completed her leadership stint after leading India to its second consecutive Asian Games gold medal in Japan. The decision to step down occurred after she was informed at a review meeting in Guwahati, headed by BCCI Secretary Devajit Saikia, that a change of guard was unavoidable.
Why was Mandhana viewed as the natural choice to succeed Harmanpreet Kaur?
Mandhana, who made her international debut in 2013, has emerged as one of the top batters in women’s cricket. The 30-year-old left-handed opener has scored over 10,000 runs in all formats and is widely regarded as India’s top batsman by a large margin.
It was no secret that Mandhana had grown frustrated with the selectors, who maintained the status quo on captaincy even after India broke their ICC trophy drought by winning the ODI World Cup at home. In a recent interview, she declared her willingness to head the team. Following India’s Asian Games gold, she remarked that the squad should aim for bigger events. In between those highs, India’s early departures from back-to-back T20 World Cups sparked concerns about leadership, particularly in the shortest format.
Former India captain Mithali Raj spoke out after India was knocked out of the T20 World Cup in the United Kingdom earlier this year, challenging Harmanpreet’s form and fitness and suggesting that the selectors should have promoted Mandhana two or three years ago.
What does Harmanpreet Kaur ongoing participation entail for team dynamics?
Harmanpreet Kaur has stated that she intends to continue playing for the next two to three years. This means the two senior players will share the dressing room, with Mandhana now holding the captaincy, which had previously been a bone of contention between them.
This is not the first time the selectors have received criticism for a leadership change in the Indian women’s squad. When Harmanpreet Kaur took over the ODI captaincy from Mithali after the 2022 World Cup, relations between the two veterans were said to be at an all-time low, resulting in factionalism within the group.
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While India played admirably in the recent Asia Cup and Asian Games, Harmanpreet was not her best with the bat throughout those events. As a specialised batter in the future, her individual performance is projected to improve. It remains to be seen whether Harmanpreet and Mandhana can put aside their disputes for the good of the team.
