One era has ended in Indian women’s cricket, while another could soon begin. Harmanpreet Kaur has stepped down as India captain across all three formats. Meanwhile, Smriti Mandhana has emerged as the strongest name to replace her. Therefore, she currently stands as the leading favourite for the next captaincy role.
Mandhana’s captaincy discussion started much earlier
Talk around Mandhana becoming captain did not begin after Harmanpreet’s resignation. Calls to hand her the leadership role had started much earlier. One major reason involved Harmanpreet’s current form as a player. Under the 37-year-old captain, India continued winning matches. However, her batting performances remained poor enough to attract widespread attention. As a result, questions around her captaincy had already intensified.
Guwahati review meeting gave a strong indication
The Indian women’s team held a review meeting with the BCCI in Guwahati. The meeting mainly focused on deciding Harmanpreet Kaur’s captaincy. Team coach Amol Muzumdar attended alongside Harmanpreet. Notably, vice-captain Smriti Mandhana also joined the meeting.
Usually, vice-captains do not attend such review meetings. However, Mandhana’s presence in Guwahati suggested a possible leadership change. Therefore, the meeting strengthened expectations around her future role.
Official confirmation still remains pending
So far, no official decision has confirmed Smriti Mandhana as India’s next captain. However, speculation around her name continues to grow.
Given the developments, those expectations could soon become reality. For now, Mandhana remains the frontrunner to replace Harmanpreet Kaur.
