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Shantha Rangaswamy requests BCCI to appoint Smriti Mandhana as Indian women’s cricket skipper, suggesting Harmanpreet Kaur can excel without leadership.
India’s players celebrate with the trophy after their win over South Africa in the ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup final. (AP Photo)
The first captain of the Indian women’s cricket team, Shantha Rangaswamy, has said that Harmanpreet Kaur can contribute more if she is relieved of the burden of captaincy, urging BCCI to bring in Smriti Mandhana as the new skipper, while Harmanpreet continues as a player.
Rangaswamy emphasised that any change should be made with the side’s long-term future in mind, noting that the next ODI World Cup is slated for 2029 and the T20 World Cup will take place in the United Kingdom in 2026.
Star opener Mandhana, who is 29, is the obvious choice for a new skipper, Rangaswamy said.
“It is overdue. Because Harman, as a batter and a fielder, is brilliant. Yes. But tactically, she can fumble at times. I feel she can contribute more if she is without the burden of captaincy,” Rangaswamy said while speaking to PTI.
“See, when it comes after a success like this (World Cup win), it will not be taken well, but in the interest of Indian cricket and in Harman’s own interest, I think she can contribute much more as a batter without the burden of captaincy,” Rangaswamy added.
The former India player cited Rohit Sharma’s example, noting how selectors chose to move on from him for the team’s greater good, even after he had led India to the Champions Trophy title earlier this year.
“In our days, batting used to be the weaker link. Now batting has a settled look, but bowling is a concern. Fielding, too, can be a lot better. Australia lost only because they didn’t have a good bowling attack,” Rangaswamy said.
“I would say Pakistan and Bangladesh had better bowling attacks. The batters did the job for us,” Rangaswamy added.
Rangaswamy predicted that while reaching the 2017 final made women’s cricket popular in India, Sunday night’s win against South Africa will spark an explosion of young girls taking up the sport.
November 03, 2025, 19:37 IST
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