Mithali Raj has made a pointed call for fresh leadership in Indian women’s cricket, arguing that the team must urgently broaden its leadership pool after recent highs and painful exits on the global stage. With Harmanpreet Kaur’s decade-long stewardship of the T20 side and Smriti Mandhana’s steady vice-captaincy, Mithali stresses that change, accountability and forward planning are now essential if India is to convert talent into sustained success across formats.
Mithali’s intervention comes in the wake of mixed fortunes for India. Harmanpreet, who took over T20 captaincy in October 2016, led India through five T20 World Cups; yet India failed to reach the semi-finals in the 2026 T20 World Cup in England and Wales after a 6-wicket loss to Sophie Molineux’s Australia at Lord’s on June 28, only the second time under skipper Harmanpreet Kaur India missed the last four. That followed the 2024 UAE edition where a narrow 9-run loss to Australia in Sharjah ended India’s semi-final hopes. Still, Harmanpreet finished the 2026 T20 World Cup as India’s third-highest run-scorer with 141 runs at a strike rate of 131.77 and an average of 35.25; vice-captain Smriti topped India’s charts with 205 runs at a strike rate of 140.41 and an average of 41.
Mithali Raj acknowledges the value of experience but contends selectors must look beyond senior names. “Harman started to lead in the T20 format since 2016, which is good, like good 10 years and five World Cups, and Smriti is also good 10 years as vice-captain”, she said, before arguing that longevity cannot be the only criterion. Her prescription: give emerging leaders time and a pathway. “You can’t really expect them to churn out magic in the first series that they lead; just give them some time to settle down in that role.”
Her view is nuanced rather than dismissive of the incumbents. Mithali believes Smriti Mandhana’s experience suits longer formats, particularly ODIs, a format in which India sealed the ODI World Cup triumph in November 2025, where under Harmanpreet and coach Amol Muzumdar, India lifted their maiden senior ICC title on home soil. Harmanpreet scored 260 runs in the tournament (strike rate 89.04, average 32.50), while Smriti was the engine, scoring 434 runs (strike rate 99.08, average 54.25), helping India clinch the 2025 title in front of fervent home crowds.
The recent historic one-off Test against England at Lord’s further underlined India’s depth and leadership influence. Harmanpreet’s 58 and Smriti’s 83 set the platform in the first innings; Yastika Bhatia’s maiden Test century and Kranti Gaud’s historic 5-for at Lord’s (17-7-37-5) helped India secure a dominant 270-run victory, making Harmanpreet only the fourth Indian captain to win a Test at Lord’s. Mithali uses such milestones to argue leaders must be stewarded carefully, experience matters, but succession must be planned.
Mithali also flagged a structural gap in grooming leaders from the junior ranks. “Since the start of the Under-19 World Cup, honestly I have not seen any under-19 player being groomed for the leadership role,” she said, urging that growth involves adding potential leaders into the broader leadership group, not merely selecting XI players. She suggested natural candidates in the longer run: Shefali Verma, who has captained at U19 level and is suited to T20, and Jemimah Rodrigues, who has shown leadership in the WPL, while reiterating the need to back any new captain with time and investment.
For selectors and administrators, Mithali’s message is both a warning and a blueprint: cherish and use the experience of stalwarts like Harmanpreet and Smriti but urgently create pathways for tomorrow’s captains. As Indian women’s cricket continues to scale new heights ODI world champions, Lord’s Conquerors the next challenge is institutional: to turn episodic triumphs into a leadership pipeline capable of sustaining success across formats.
(Quotes sourced from PTI)
Loves all things female cricket