Dhoni led captain Kohli. BCCI wants Harmanpreet Kaur to do the same for Smriti Mandhana

When MS Dhoni decided to step down as the captain of the Indian men’s team, Virat Kohli was all set to take over the reins. Even after Dhoni stepped down as the captain of the team, he remained in the role of mentoring Kohli, often seen helping him with fielding, DRS calls and bringing in bowlers. This is the same trend that the BCCI wants to see in the transition to captaincy for the women’s team.

Recently, Harmanpreet Kaur takes over the captaincy in Smriti Mandhana’s team after a successful stint, with the first task of the opening game being a series against Zimbabwe at home. However, Harmanpreet remains a part of the team, something BCCI president Mithun Manhas is happy to see.

In an interview with Sportstar, Manhas said that the baton of captaincy should always be passed on to the next candidate who will still be in the side.

“I’ve always believed that the baton should be passed on when you have someone older around you to lead,” he said. “Because captaincy is not easy, no matter how experienced you are.

Manhas then followed the success achieved by the men’s team in the same trend. When Dhoni took over, he had Sourav Ganguly to help him out. Dhoni then did the same for Kohli and Rohit Sharma.

Now the duo is helping Shubman Gill settle into his role as captain.

‘HARMANPREET WILL BE A PROFIT FOR SMRITI’

Manhas feels that Harmanpreet will come as an asset when Mandhana finds herself trapped in situations.

“There will be situations where you will have to make a decision and you will be confused. So I think Harmanpreet will be an asset for Smriti,” said Manhas.

Manhas avoided directly explaining Mandhana’s appointment, choosing instead to highlight the support he will receive from the team’s support system.

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