Indian Women's Cricket Legend Wants Harmanpreet To Pass On The Captaincy To Mandhana

Shantha Rangaswamy, India’s first women’s Test captain, has weighed in on the discussion about leadership succession within the Indian women’s team following the historic World Cup victory in Navi Mumbai. She told PTI that Smriti Mandhana should take over the captaincy from Harmanpreet Kaur in the near future. 

Rangaswamy, who captained India to their first-ever Test win in 1976 and later served as a member of the BCCI Apex Council, shared her views following India’s recent World Cup success, saying that Mandhana’s temperament and form make her the right choice to lead the side going forward.

“Smriti is the ideal choice. She has been an excellent performer for India and should be given the opportunity to lead the country,” she said, as quoted by the Indian Express. 

“Harmanpreet is a proven match-winner, but captaincy has its own weight. Sometimes, it affects how freely a player performs. Her focus should be on her batting because that’s where she is most valuable to the team,” she added.

Rangaswamy also highlighted that Mandhana has shown the maturity and composure needed to guide the team in high-pressure situations. 

“Smriti is calm and composed. She reads the game well and has already shown her leadership qualities in domestic and franchise cricket. I believe she can handle the responsibility without letting it affect her own performance,” she said.

With Harmanpreet being 36 years old now and Mandhana at the prime of her career, the opportunity may arise soon where the team management would have to sit and take a call on the future of this team.