IndiaâÂÂs long-serving captain of the womenâÂÂs cricket team, Harmanpreet Kaur, has stepped down from the role across all formats, bringing down the curtain on a successful stint as she led the South Asian team to their first ICC WomenâÂÂs World Cup title at home in 2025.
Kaur announced her decision in a social media post on Tuesday, two weeks after leading India to a successful defence of their gold medal at the Asian Games.
Recommended Stories
list of 4 items- list 1 of 4Smriti Mandhana leads India to Asian Games cricket gold over Sri Lanka
- list 2 of 4Cricket turns political again as India do not accept Asia Cup trophy
- list 3 of 4India crush Pakistan at T20 Asia Cup with record-breaking bowling display
- list 4 of 4IndiaâÂÂs Smriti Mandhana becomes top run-scorer in womenâÂÂs cricket
âÂÂToday, I step down as captain of the Indian WomenâÂÂs Cricket Team across all formats,â she wrote in an Instagram post.
âÂÂThis is not an easy decision. It carries years of memories, emotions, sacrifices, and moments that will stay with me for the rest of my life.âÂÂ
The 37-year-old was the Twenty20 captain for more than a decade after assuming the role in 2016, followed by ODI and Test captaincy in 2022.
Kaur, who made her T20I and ODI debuts for India in 2009, has had an illustrious career as skipper.
Indian media reports said KaurâÂÂs decision came a day after she met Devajit Saikia, secretary of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), â to discuss the future of the womenâÂÂs team.
Opening batter Smriti Mandhana, who has been KaurâÂÂs deputy since 2022, is the favourite to take over the captainâÂÂs role.
Under KaurâÂÂsàcaptaincy, India won their maiden WomenâÂÂs Cricket World Cup title in November last year on home soil.
Most recently, she led India to title defence at the Asian Games, thrashing Sri Lanka, just after lifting the WomenâÂÂs Asia Cup trophy earlier in September.
The top-order batter helped India reach the semifinals of the 2018 and 2023 WomenâÂÂs T20 World Cups, as well as finish runners-up in the 2020 edition.
Kaur has captained India in five Tests, 51 ODIs and 155 T20Is, and is also the first cricketer â male or female â to captain her side in international cricket in more than 150 T20I games.
âÂÂI leave the captaincy today with a heart full of emotions, but also with peace ⦠because I genuinely believe my team is in a good place,â she said in her Instagram post. âÂÂI feel I have done my duty.
âÂÂCaptaincy may end today, but my love for Indian cricket never will.
âÂÂNow, IâÂÂm ready to play for the love of the game again. Captaincy ends. The journey continues.âÂÂ