Team India might have to look for a new captain in the coming days as Mithali Raj is almost certain to hang up her boots. The veteran batter who’s had a magical 23-year career had captained the side for a large portion of her tenure. She led the side in 155 ODIs. She scored 5000+ ODI runs as captain and team India won 89 matches, lost 63 matches under her leadership. She is one of the most successful captains in women’s cricket history.
As Mithali is all set to retire from the game, the big question arises as to who will be replacing her as team India Captain. The obvious choice will be Harmanpreet Kaur as she’s already the captain of Team India’s T20 squad. But, there are other options as well.
Shantha Rangaswamy, who led team India in 16 ODIs from 1982 to 1984 suggested that Smriti Mandhana must be given the reigns as she’s matured and capable.
While talking to Press Trust of India, Rangaswamy said, “Smriti should lead the side. Harman is a proven match-winner and a star player. But, captaincy needs taking responsibility and playing consistently well. It will put an additional burden on Harman. Smriti can handle that better. Her temperament is suited for captaincy,” the BCCI Apex Council member added.
Speaking about team India’s performance in the 2022 WC, Rangaswamy said that the team was inconsistent throughout the tournament. The expectations were high after the 2017 WC performance where they came out as runners-up. Smriti Mandhana and Mithali Raj were a bit more consistent than in the 2017 campaign. Luck played a favor for South Africa on Sunday which resulted in our girls getting eliminated. There’s nothing to be ashamed of.
As team India finished off an average campaign in the 2022 world cup, now the focus has been on finding a new captain and also looking for a good replacement for Mithali Raj and Jhulan Goswami who are almost certain of not playing for team India anymore.
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