Harmanpreet Kaur should hand captaincy to Smriti Mandhana across formats: Former Indian cricketer

Former Indian skipper Shantha Rangaswamy has emphasized that the Indian captain Harmanpreet Kaur should hand the captaincy to Smriti Mandhana across formats, which would be beneficial for the Indian team in the long term.

Speaking exclusively to PTI, Rangaswamy stated that this decision by Harmanpreet would help her to elongate her career by three to four more years as a pure batter, adding that India needs to plan for future World Cups right away. 

“It’s 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’s without the burden of captaincy. 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 said to PTI.

“She still has three-four years of big-time cricket left. Not being captain would allow her to do that. Smriti should be made captain across formats. You need to plan for future World Cups also,” she added.

Additionally, the former Indian captain also asserted that the Indian women’s team during her time used to have a weaker batting link. However, the Indian team, led by Harmanpreet, has a relatively weaker bowling attack. 

The Indian women’s team, led by Harmanpreet Kaur, stunned South Africa by 52 runs in the ICC Women’s World Cup 2025 grand finale to clinch the title for the first time in the tournament’s history. 

“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 did not have a good bowling attack. I would say Pakistan and Bangladesh had better bowling attacks. The batters did the job for us,” she concluded.

Stay updated with the latest cricket news, match insights, and exclusive updates at Sky365 and download the Sky365 App to start betting today!