Smriti Mandhana appointed India women’s cricket captain

Indian women’s cricket captaincy change Smriti Mandhana Harmanpreet Kaur BCCI

Smriti Mandhana has been appointed captain of the Indian women’s cricket team across all formats, succeeding Harmanpreet Kaur. The decision follows a review meeting involving the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), including secretary Devajit Saikia and coach Amol Muzumdar.

Harmanpreet Kaur, who led the national side since 2012, recently stepped down following the Asian Games. Her tenure was marked by significant milestones, including a historic World Cup victory. Reflecting on her leadership, Kaur stated that captaincy taught her to “stand on the frontline and take responsibility” for both criticism and success, emphasizing that her goal was to contribute to the development of the sport rather than personal stature.

The leadership transition comes after a period of scrutiny regarding team performance at the T20 World Cup and a dip in Kaur’s batting form. While reports suggested Kaur was willing to step down from T20 leadership while retaining ODI and Test captaincy to mentor younger players, the BCCI opted for the 30-year-old Mandhana to lead the team in all formats.