The former Indian captain wants Smriti Mandhana to take over the ODI, Test side from Harmanpreet Kaur
Former India captain Mithali Raj believes the time has come for Smriti Mandhana to take over from Harmanpreet Kaur in charge of India’s ODI and Test teams, saying the veteran opener should ideally have been given the role a few years back.
Speaking to PTI after India’s disappointing exit from the Women’s T20 World Cup, Mithali said that Harmanpreet’s future as captain cannot be judged solely on the basis of another setback in the ICC tournament, but added that the selectors must now consider her fitness, form and whether she fits into India’s plans for the next World Cup cycle.
India crashed out of the semi-finals of the T20 World Cup for the second consecutive edition, intensifying the scrutiny on Harmanpreet’s leadership despite leading the side to a historic ODI World Cup triumph last year.
“Yes, we did not qualify for the semi-finals for the second time in a row, but that cannot be the only reason or criterion to conclude that you have to change the leader,” Mithali said.
“I believe there are a number of boxes one needs to see if a player ticks.
The legendary batter pointed to Harmanpreet’s recurring fitness issues as one of the biggest problems.
“One is obviously fitness, which I think is very important. Harman in the last two or three years you see a physio quite often on the ground, every game when she plays. There have been a few games where she has been unavailable. You would obviously want your captain to be fit and available for all the games. Unfortunately we are all getting older so she is not the fittest,” said Mithali.
She also questioned Harmanpreet’s returns with the bat in recent ICC events.
“If you see Harman’s form in three World Cups… we saw a pattern. Those 15 or 20 runs are enough for her, but it always takes her three to four matches to get to a fifty in a World Cup.”
Mithali said the selectors also have to decide whether Harmanpreet will remain part of India’s plans for the next ODI and T20 World Cup cycles.
“And the third factor is does it fit into the scheme of things in the next cycle of your One Day World Cup or T20 World Cup? Whoever is in a position to make that decision has to take those things into account.”
At the same time, she insisted that the responsibility for India’s repeated failures in ICC tournaments should not rest solely on the captain.
“If you think that just because the T20 World Cup didn’t go well for India, then there has to be a change. Even the coach (Amol Muzumdar) is responsible because both the captain and the coach take the decisions of the playing eleven.”
“MANDHANA SHOULD LEAD INDIA IN ODI AND TESTS”
For Mithali, the successor in the longer formats is clear.
The former captain said Mandhana should lead both the ODI and Test teams, adding that the veteran opener deserved the responsibility much earlier in her career.
“At least I thought Smriti would lead the ODI format two or three years ago. But now also, with the experience she has, vast experience, she should at least be given the one-day and Test format.”
Mithali emphasized that India’s longer formats require an experienced captain capable of leading the team during the next World Cup cycle.
COULD SHAFALI CAPTAIN INDIA T20I?
While backing Mandhana for the longer formats, Mithali believes India should focus on youth in the T20Is, naming Shafali Varma as her preferred choice to replace Harmanpreet.
“For T20Is, I mean Shafali. Her format is T20Is. And she led the Under-19 World Cup. Why not Shafali?”
She also named Jemimah Rodrigues as another leadership option after her experience as captain in the Women’s Premier League.
“Jemi too, of course. She led in the WPL. But I believe that whoever they choose, they need to give them some time to settle in, because we all have time to settle into our roles as leaders.”
Mithali questioned why India had not done enough to nurture future leaders despite Shafali leading the country to the Under-19 Women’s World Cup title and Niki Prasad emerging as another promising captain.
“Shafali Verma led India to the Under-19 World Cup title but was not given a leadership role. Why? Ditto for Niki Prasad who was supposed to captain India.”
“I don’t understand the thought process here. We don’t have a road map. We don’t think two years down the track, where do you see the Indian team? We only think series by series. We don’t have a long-term plan.”
FITNESS REMAINS A CONCERN
Apart from the captaincy debate, Mithali also highlighted India’s recurring conditioning issues, saying they have a direct impact on both the pace attack and the team’s fielding standards.
“Obviously, fast bowling is a skill that goes hand in hand with fitness as well. Sometimes we pick players when they are still growing. Apart from the skills, they are still understanding the fitness regime of a fast bowler.”
She added that India’s fielding standards will only improve if the players pay equal attention to it outside the national camps.
“In terms of fielding, it also depends on your individual training. When we come home, we all focus on batting or bowling, but not particularly on fielding. We only do that when we come to the camp.”
Mithali also urged India to develop more players in the shape of wicketkeeper-batsman Rich Ghosh and said a stronger lower order would help the team close out matches in ICC tournaments.
– The end
Issued by:
Kingshuk Kusari
Published on:
16 Jul 2026 23:05 IST