Former India women’s player Diana Edulji has said Smriti Mandhana should be made India captain at the earliest. She believes the team needs to start preparing for its next World Cup well in advance. Edulji pointed out that current captain Harmanpreet Kaur will be nearing 40 when the next World Cup arrives. According to her, giving Mandhana enough time as captain could help India make the leadership change in a smooth manner. Her comments have brought the focus back to India’s future captaincy plans.
“We are holding back Smriti Mandhana for a long time. By the time the next World Cup comes along, Harman will be nearing 40, so let’s give a good run to Smriti and look at two youngsters as vice-captains. My humble request to Harman would be to let people ask why and not why not,” Edulji said to Mid-Day.
Edulji’s comments came after India’s successful Asia Cup campaign. India won the tournament after defeating Sri Lanka in the final, while Mandhana and Kaur had very different returns with the bat. Mandhana finished with 213 runs in 5 matches, including a record breaking 124. Kaur scored 71 runs from the same number of matches. The difference in their numbers has added another point to the discussion around India’s future leadership.
Kaur’s immediate focus will now be on the Asian Games, where she will continue to lead India. India are the defending champions in the women’s competition, which will run from September 17 to 22. The team will begin its title defence on September 18 against hosts Japan. The match is scheduled for 10:30 AM IST and will be a straight knockout quarterfinal. This will be India’s opening match at the Asian Games.
The team’s schedule will then move to South Africa after the Asian Games. India will play a multi-format series there, starting on 9th December and ending on 30th December. The tour will include 1 Test, 3 ODIs and 3 T20Is against the Proteas. After completing the South Africa series, India will have another major assignment. The team will next take part in the inaugural Women’s Champions Trophy, which is scheduled from February 14-28 in India.
The Champions Trophy will be played in the T20I format and will feature six teams. Australia, England, India, New Zealand, South Africa and Sri Lanka will be part of the tournament. The six sides will meet in a round-robin league during the competition. Once that stage is completed, the top two teams will move into the final. The final is scheduled to take place on February 28, bringing the six-team tournament to a close.
The Cricket Club of India in Mumbai and the Vadodara International Cricket Stadium in Vadodara will host all matches of the event. The six teams will play their round-robin league games at these two venues. The top two sides from the league will then meet in the final on February 28. The complete tournament will be played in T20I format. It is scheduled to run from February 14-28 in India.
For Edulji, the bigger issue is preparing India for the next World Cup rather than waiting until the tournament is close. She wants Mandhana to receive a good run as captain and has suggested that two youngsters could be developed as vice-captains. She has also made a request to Kaur while discussing the possible timing of the change. Her comments underline the need to give the next captain time to gain experience before the next World Cup.
At present, Kaur remains in charge and will lead India into the Asian Games. India will face Japan on September 18 at 10:30 AM IST in their straight knockout quarterfinal. The Asian Games will be followed by the South Africa tour from 9th December to 30th December, featuring 1 Test, 3 ODIs and 3 T20Is. India will then play the Women’s Champions Trophy in India from February 14-28. The tournament will feature Australia, England, India, New Zealand, South Africa and Sri Lanka.
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