Former India captain Mithali Raj has backed the management transition following Harmanpreet Kaur’s resolution to step down as India’s all-format captain on Tuesday morning. Mithali mentioned the change was necessary to convey recent concepts into the team, while endorsing long-term deputy Smriti Mandhana as the suitable selection to steer India across Tests, ODIs and T20Is.
“Smriti has been the vice-captain for quite some time now, so she understands the team and the atmosphere very properly,” Mithali told HT. Mandhana, who has already led India in 18 T20Is, profitable 11, and four ODIs, profitable all 4, will begin her tenure with India’s historic first white-ball bilateral series in opposition to Zimbabwe. The series will feature three T20Is and three ODIs from October 16 to 28, 2026. Shafali Verma has been appointed T20I vice-captain, while Deepti Sharma will serve as vice-captain in ODIs.
Mithali Raj, India’s longest-serving captain, additionally acknowledged Harmanpreet’s immense contribution to the growth of women’s cricket. Harmanpreet led India for practically a decade and helped the facet win the 2025 ODI World Cup on home soil, India’s maiden senior-level ICC title in the format. India defeated Australia by 5 wickets in the semi-final at Navi Mumbai, with Harmanpreet scoring a vital 89, earlier than overcoming South Africa by 52 runs in the final on November 2.
“Harmanpreet has had a outstanding run as captain and has contributed immensely to Indian girls’s cricket,” Mithali mentioned. “It is important to acknowledge that when you speak about a change in management. But each team goes via a transition sooner or later, and I really feel that is the suitable time for India to look forward.”
Harmanpreet Kaur’s captaincy additionally produced major success in the shortest format. She led India to their fourth ACC Girls’s T20 Asia Cup title in 2026, defeating Sri Lanka by 72 runs in Dubai. Through the match, she grew to become the first participant, male or feminine, to captain 150 T20Is. In September, she guided India to a second consecutive Asian Games gold medal after a 147-run victory over Sri Lanka at Korogi Sports activities Park, Nisshin.
Her Take a look at management was equally important. India defeated Australia by eight wickets at Wankhede in December 2023, their first-ever Take a look at victory over Australia, while Harmanpreet additionally led them to victory in the first girls’s Take a look at at Lord’s in opposition to England in July 2026. She made her ODI captaincy debut in opposition to Bangladesh on April 8, 2013, and led India in 51 matches.
Mithali believes Harmanpreet’s greatest affect got here via her fearless batting. “When Harmanpreet made her debut, the power she delivered to her batting really stood out,” she mentioned. “The innings she played on the 2017 World Cup is one that can all the time be remembered.” Her unbeaten 171 in opposition to Australia in the semi-final remains one of many defining performances in girls’s cricket.
Mandhana now inherits a team that has tasted World Cup glory and carries better expectations. Mithali believes her success with Royal Challengers Bengaluru in the Girls’s Premier League has strengthened her management credentials. “She is calm and composed, reads the game properly and has been a superb help to the youthful players,” Mithali mentioned. “With the Champions Trophy arising, Smriti has her work minimize out.”
India will host the inaugural Girls’s T20 Champions Trophy from February 14 to 28, 2027, earlier than the 2028 T20 World Cup, the Los Angeles Olympics and the 2029 ODI World Cup. For Mithali, the transition must be rigorously deliberate. “The main focus must be on constructing the suitable mixture, giving players clarity about their roles and regularly making ready the following era of players,” she mentioned. “I believe Smriti is properly suited to the role of all-format captain.”
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