GUWAHATI / NEW DELHI — Indian women cricket team captain Harmanpreet Kaur announced on Tuesday, October 6, that she is stepping down as captain of the Indian women’s cricket team across all three formats. The 37-year-old confirmed that while her decade-long leadership tenure has come to an end, she will continue playing for India as an active batter.
The decision came just a day after a BCCI performance review meeting held in Guwahati, chaired by BCCI Secretary Devajit Saikia. The meeting was attended by Kaur, head coach Amol Muzumdar, and vice-captain Smriti Mandhana to evaluate the team’s trajectory and plan the roadmap ahead.
‘Captaincy Ends, the Journey Continues’
In an emotional post shared on Tuesday, Kaur described stepping down as one of the hardest decisions of her life, reflecting on years of sacrifice and putting personal goals aside for the team’s success.
“I have given everything I had to this team and to Indian women’s cricket – my
blood, my sweat, my time, and many times, a part of my own game and personal
ambitions. There were moments when I had to put my individual performance, my
own growth, and what I wanted for myself aside, because I believed the team had
to come first.
As a captain, I have had to make difficult decisions.
Decisions that were not always understood, not always easy, and sometimes came
at a personal cost. But every decision I made was with one intention – to make this
TEAM better and to give other players the opportunity to grow, believe in
themselves and become the best versions of themselves.
I have seen it all.”
A Historic Leadership Track Record
Kaur has an impressive record as captain of India: she led the national women’s cricket team to its first-ever ODI World Cup title last year, plus secured a gold at the Asian Games:
T20 Internationals: Kaur became captain in 2016 and led India in 155 T20I matches, winning 92 and losing 57 (with 59.35% win percentage).
One Day Internationals: She became captain of the ODI team in 2022 and has led India to 30 wins in 51 matches (win percentage of 58.82).
Test Matches: She captained India in five Test matches, winning four and losing one (win percentage of 80).
Kaur is one of the greatest batters in India’s history having scored over 9,100 runs in international cricket, which includes 4,541 runs in ODIs (with seven centuries which includes her famous 171*), 4,346 in T20Is and 304 runs in Tests.
Smriti Mandhana Set to Take Over
At 30, vice-captain Smriti Mandhana looks to be a strong candidate to take up the captaincy role across formats. Mandhana has been in the international scene since making her debut in 2013 at the age of 17, and is undoubtedly a natural choice for captaincy continuity:
- ODIs: 5,411 runs in 120 matches at an average of 57.88, featuring 14 centuries and 35 fifties.
- T20Is: 4,867 runs across 179 games, including two centuries and 37 half-centuries.
- Tests: 788 runs in 9 appearances, with two hundreds.
The BCCI is expected to make an official announcement regarding the new captaincy appointment in the coming days.
