In this article, let’s look at captains of the Indian women’s team over the years.
List of all Indian women’s cricket team captains over the years:
1. Shantha Rangaswamy
Shantha Rangaswamy made history as the inaugural captain of the Indian women’s cricket team in 1976. Leading the team with distinction, she served as the captain in Test matches from 1976 to 1984 and in One Day Internationals (ODIs) from 1982 to 1984.
During her tenure, India contested 12 Test matches, securing 1 victory, enduring 2 defeats, and drawing 9 matches. Notably, under her leadership, India clinched their maiden Test win in November 1976 against West Indies at the Moin-ul-Haq Stadium, Patna. Additionally, Rangaswamy etched her name in the annals of history by scoring India’s first-ever Test century against New Zealand on January 8, 1977.
In ODIs, India participated in 16 matches during her captaincy, winning 4 and losing 12, reflecting her influential leadership during a crucial period of women’s cricket in India. Under her leadership, India achieved a historic milestone by winning their first-ever ODI match in the 1982 World Cup against the International XI at Napier.
2. Nilima Jogalekar
Nilima Jogalekar captained the Indian women’s cricket team in a Test match against New Zealand in 1985, held in Ahmedabad. The match concluded with a draw.
3. Diana Edulji
Diana Edulji held the captaincy for the Indian women’s cricket team in Test matches from 1985 to 1986 and in ODIs from 1978 to 1993. During her captaincy tenure in Test matches, India competed in 4 matches, all of which ended in draws. In ODIs, she led the team in 18 matches, securing victory in 7 and facing defeat in 11 encounters. Notably, she was India’s inaugural ODI captain.
4. Shubhangi Kulkarni
Shubhangi Kulkarni served as the captain of the Indian women’s cricket team in Test matches from 1986 to 1991. Additionally, she led India in a solitary ODI in 1986. Under her captaincy, India participated in 3 Test matches, registering 1 defeat and drawing 2 matches. The sole ODI during her leadership concluded in a loss.
5. Sandhya Agarwal
Sandhya Agarwal captained the Indian women’s cricket team in a solitary Test Match in 1991 against Australia, resulting in a 9 wickets defeat for India.
6. Purnima Rau
Purnima Rau served as captain of the Indian women’s cricket team in both Test matches and ODIs in the year 1995. Under her leadership, the team played 3 Test matches, resulting in 1 defeat and 2 draws. In ODIs, she led in 8 matches, securing 5 wins and suffering 3 losses.
7. Pramila Bhatt
Pramila Bhatt captained the Indian women’s cricket team in a solitary Test match against England in 1995, which concluded in a draw. In ODIs, she led the team from 1995 to 1997, participating in 7 matches, with 5 victories, 1 loss, and 1 tie. Under her leadership, India achieved their maiden ODI series triumph in 1995/96 against England.
8. Chanderkanta Kaul
Chanderkanta Kaul led the Indian women’s cricket team in both Test matches and ODIs in 1999. She captained in one Test match against hosts England, which concluded in a draw. Under her leadership in ODIs, India played 4 matches, winning 3 and losing 1.
9. Anju Jain
Anju Jain captained the Indian women’s cricket team in One Day Internationals in the year 2000. During her tenure, India played 8 matches, emerging victorious in 5 matches and facing defeat in 3 matches.
10. Anjum Chopra
Anjum Chopra led the Indian women’s cricket team across all three formats: Tests, ODIs, and T20Is. In 2002, she captained India in Test matches, playing 3 matches, winning 1, and drawing 2. Under her leadership, India achieved a significant milestone by securing their first-ever overseas Test victory against South Africa in Paarl. India dominated the match, winning comfortably by 10 wickets.
In ODI’s from 2002 to 2012, she captained in 28 matches, winning 10, losing 17, and 1 resulting in no result. In T20 Internationals in 2012, she led India in 10 matches, winning 3, and losing 7.
11. Mamatha Maben
In 2003, Mamatha Maben led the Indian women’s cricket team in a lone Test match against New Zealand, which concluded in a draw. During her tenure as captain in ODIs from 2003 to 2004, the team played in 19 matches, winning 14 and losing 5. Under her leadership, India clinched victory in the inaugural Women’s Asia Cup, which was contested in the ODI format in 2004 against Sri Lanka.
12. Mithali Raj
Mithali Raj’s tenure as captain of the Indian women’s cricket team across all formats is marked by remarkable achievements, placing her among India’s most successful leaders. From 2005 to 2021, she captained India in 8 Test matches, securing 3 victories, suffering 1 defeat, and 4 matches resulting in draws. Notably, under her guidance, India clinched their first-ever Test series win in England in 2006 at Taunton.
In ODI cricket, Mithali helmed the team from 2004 to 2022, featuring in 155 matches, with 89 wins, 63 losses, and 3 no results. India reached the ICC Women’s World Cup finals twice during her captaincy, in 2005 and 2017, facing Australia and England, respectively. She stands as the sole Indian captain, regardless of gender, to lead the team to two 50-over World Cup finals. Moreover, Mithali steered India to victory in four Asia Cup editions, triumphing in 2005-06, 2006, 2008, and 2012.
From 2006 to 2016, Mithali captained India in 32 T20 International matches, securing 17 wins and enduring 15 losses. Her leadership saw India’s debut T20I match on August 05, 2006, against England, clinching victory by 8 wickets.
13. Jhulan Goswami
Jhulan Goswami, renowned for her pace bowling prowess, took on the responsibility of leading the Indian women’s cricket team in ODIs and T20Is. From 2008 to 2011, she captained India in 25 ODIs, securing 12 wins and enduring 13 losses. Similarly, in the T20I format, she led the team from 2008 to 2015, playing 18 matches, with 8 wins and 10 losses.
During her tenure, India achieved a significant milestone by securing their first-ever T20I series win comprising three or more matches. This historic triumph occurred in 2011 against West Indies, marking a memorable achievement under Jhulan Goswami’s leadership.
14. Rumeli Dhar
Under Rumeli Dhar’s captaincy, India played just one One Day International in 2008 against Australia, which they lost by 7 wickets.
15. Harmanpreet Kaur
Harmanpreet Kaur leads the Indian women’s cricket team across all three formats and currently serves as the captain.
In Test Matches, she began her captaincy journey in 2023, securing victories in both one-off test matches against England and Australia in Mumbai. These wins were historic, with India defeating England by 347 runs, marking the biggest win by runs in women’s Tests and their first home victory over England. The match against Australia also marked India’s maiden triumph against them in test matches.
In ODIs, Harmanpreet assumed leadership in 2013, participating in 17 matches, winning 11, losing 5, and one ending in a tie. As for T20Is, she took on the role in 2012, featuring in 111 matches, with 64 victories, 42 losses, one tie, and four no results.
Under her guidance, the Indian Team reached the finals of the 2020 ICC Women’s T20 World Cup, where they suffered a defeat against Australia by 85 runs. Moreover, at the 2022 Commonwealth Games, India secured the runner-up position against Australia, earning a silver medal and contributing to the Indian Contingent’s medal tally.
Additionally, she led India to triumph in two Asia Cup editions, in 2016 and 2022. Furthermore, India claimed the Gold Medal in the 2022 Asian Games, emerging victorious against Sri Lanka by 19 runs.
16. Smriti Mandhana
Smriti Mandhana, the current vice-captain of the Indian women’s cricket team, also had the opportunity to lead them from the front in T20Is. She served as captain from 2019 to 2023, leading in 13 matches, securing victories in 7, suffering 5 losses, and encountering 1 no result.
