Kolkata : All time leading run scorer in Women’s Smriti Mandhana has succeeded World Cup winning skipper Harmanpreet Kaur to become new Women’s Indian Cricket team captain and this marks a significant move ahead of transition era of Indian team.
The call from Harmanpreet, who led India for the first time in 2016, to step down from captaincy across formats was taken following a review meeting with the BCCI.
The 37-year-old ended her path-breaking leadership tenure on a high, having just captained India to a second consecutive Asian Games gold in Japan.
Mandhana was the obvious choice to take over the mantle from Harmanpreet.
Having made her debut way back in 2013, the elegant opener has risen to be among the leading batters in the game, tallying more than 10,000 runs across formats.
Mandhana was always head and shoulders above the rest when it came to skill and now she has further elevated her craft by adding power to her all-round game.
It was no secret that she had run out of patience with the selectors, who chose to maintain status quo on captaincy even after India ended their ICC trophy drought with the ODI World Cup win at home last year.
In a recent interview, she expressed her readiness to lead India and after the Asian Games gold, she went on to say that India should be aiming to win bigger tournaments.
In between the 50-over high, India had made premature exits from back to back T20 World Cups, raising questions over the leadership starting with the shortest format.
But the selectors did not bell the cat. But at the the review meeting in Guwahati, which was chaired by BCCI Secretary Devajit Saikia, it was made clear to Harmanpreet that a change of guard was inevitable. She eventually decided to take matters in her own hands.
The captaincy had also become a thorny issue between Harmanpreet and Mandhana, who used to get along pretty well.
“They were not seeing eye to eye for a while now and that led to an obvious unease in the dressing room,” said a team source.
After India crashed out of T20 World Cup in the UK earlier this year, the legendary Mithali Raj had told PTI that the selectors should have elevated Mandhana two or three years ago while questioning Harmanpreet’s form and fitness.
“I thought she would be given the captaincy of the ODI format two-three years back. She can still be the ODI and Test captain and the T20 captaincy could be given to someone younger like Shafali (Verma),” Mithali had said.
With women’s cricket not facing the same scrutiny as the men’s team, it is not the first time that the selectors have messed up in the leadership transition.
Even when Harmanpreet took over the ODI captaincy from Mithali, following the World Cup in 2022, the relations between the two veterans were at an all-time low.
It caused factionalism in the team and now with Harmanpreet wanting to continue as a player for the next two or three years, it remains to be seen if she and Mandhana can shed that baggage for the team’s cause.
While India dominated the recent Asia Cup and the Asian Games, Harmanpreet was not at her best. As a pure batter in the side, the expectations are bound to rise going forward and she will have to raise her game significantly to stay in contention.
Shafali will serve as Mandhana’s deputy in T20Is, while Deepti has been handed the vice-captaincy in ODIs. The move gives two experienced players greater leadership responsibilities after the major changes.
“Being given the responsibility of leading India is a very special honour. Representing India has always meant a great deal to me, and to now have the opportunity to lead the team is something I will value deeply,” Mandhana said in a BCCI release.
She also acknowledged Harmanpreet’s contribution as captain.
“I would also like to acknowledge Harmanpreet and the contribution she has made as captain over the years. She has led the team with great commitment and has been an important part of our journey,” she said.
India’s new leadership group will begin its next assignment against Zimbabwe at home. The three-match T20I series will be played in Raipur on October 16, 18 and 20, followed by three ODIs in Vadodara on October 23, 25 and 28.
The T20I squad sees Pratika Rawal left out, with Niki Prasad, Minnu Mani, Anushka Sharma and Jintimani Kalita coming into the side. All four featured in India’s recent assignments against Australia.
In the ODI squad, Pratika Rawal and Harleen Deol have been included, while Jemimah Rodrigues remains unavailable after a hamstring injury. Vaishnavi Sharma, who recently claimed a six-wicket haul against Australia Women’s A, has also been named.
India Squads for Zimbabwe series –
T20I Squad: Smriti Mandhana (c), Shafali Verma (vc), Niki Prasad, Harmanpreet Kaur, Anushka Sharma, Richa Ghosh (wk), G Kamalini (wk), Deepti Sharma, Prema Rawat, Sree Charani, Nandani Sharma, Kranti Gaud, Arundhati Reddy, Jintimani Kalita, Minnu Mani.
ODI Squad: Smriti Mandhana (c), Shafali Verma, Pratika Rawal, Harmanpreet Kaur, Harleen Deol, Tejal Hasabnis, Deepti Sharma (vc), Richa Ghosh (wk), Yastika Bhatia (wk), Vaishnavi Sharma, Nandani Sharma, Sree Charani, Kranti Gaud, Sayali Satghare, Renuka Thakur.
