Harmanpreet Kaur relinquishes Team India captaincy
Harmanpreet Kaur has announced her decision to step down as the captain of the Indian women’s national cricket team, bringing down the curtains on a captaincy stint that spanned 211 matches across all formats (5 Tests, 55 ODIs, and 155 T20Is) across a ten-year period.
While she was made captain in 2012, it was not until 2016 that she took the mantle of full-time captaincy. Under her leadership, India won their maiden ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup last year, as well as four Asia Cup titles (2012, 2016, 2022, and 2026), two Asian Games gold medals, and a silver medal at the Commonwealth Games. Under her captaincy, the Women in Blue also won their first bilateral ODI series in England since 1999, and their first T20I series in Australia since 2014.
With Kaur holding the reins, India slowly shed their tag of underachievers to become a consistent force in the women’s game across formats. Under her leadership, India also began to take Australia head-on rather than cower with fear and uncertainty, as she backed her players to the hilt no matter what the circumstances.
Some of Kaur’s best knocks have come when she was the captain of the side, most notably the 143 she scored against England in 2022, and her crucial 89 in last year’s World Cup semifinals against Australia, showing that she enjoyed the challenge and led by example.
Overall, the 37-year-old enjoyed a winning percentage of 59.7% as India captain, winning four out of the five Tests, 30 out of the 51 ODIs, and 93 of the 155 T20I games in which she led the Women in Blue.
There had been a lot of noise regarding the current predicament surrounding Kaur and the Team. A poor showing at this year’s T20 World Cup only amplified the chatter. As a result, there was a review meeting in Assam that involved Kaur, vice-captain Smriti Mandhana, and BCCI Secretary Devajit Saikia, following which Kaur announced her decision to step down. Mandhana has since been announced as her successor.
In a social media post, Harmanpreet said, “This is not an easy decision,” Harmanpreet wrote. “It carries years of memories, emotions, sacrifices, and moments that will stay with me for the rest of my life.
“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 leave the captaincy today with a heart full of emotions , but also with PEACE,” Harmanpreet said. “Because I genuinely believe my team is in a good place. A team with talent, character, belief and a future that I am incredibly excited to watch and be a part of.
“I feel I have done my duty. I gave this team everything I had. I carried the responsibility with pride, and I will always be grateful for the privilege of leading Indian women’s cricket.
“Now, it is time for me to turn the page. Captaincy may end today, but my love for Indian cricket never will. Thank you to every teammate, coach, support staff, management , BCCI , family members, and every single fan who stood by me through the highs and lows.”
Kaur’s decision to stand down does not have any bearing on her playing career, with the expectation being that she will continue in her role as a middle-order batter, and with the burden of captaincy now off her shoulders, chances are that we might once again see the destructive best of Harman the batter.
