Former India captain Mithali Raj has ignited a fresh debate over the leadership of the Indian women’s cricket team, emphatically stating that star opener Smriti Mandhana should have been entrusted with the ODI and Test captaincy “two-three years back.” Raj’s comments, made on July 16, 2026, come in the wake of India’s semi-final exit from the recent Women’s T20 World Cup 2026 in England, a tournament ultimately won by Australia.
This follows a period that saw Harmanpreet Kaur lead India to a historic maiden title victory in the 2025 ICC Women’s ODI World Cup.
Her remarks also follow Smriti Mandhana’s recent public acknowledgment of her readiness to lead the national side if given the opportunity, adding significant momentum to the ongoing discussions about India’s future leadership.
Questioning Harmanpreet’s Longevity
Raj, one of India’s most decorated cricketers, raised concerns over the long-term viability of incumbent captain Harmanpreet Kaur’s leadership. A key factor highlighted by Raj is the 37-year-old Harmanpreet’s recurring fitness issues. ‘One is, of course, the fitness, I feel is very important. Harman in the last two-three years, you see the physio quite often on the ground, every game when she’s playing. There were a few games that she was unavailable. So, you obviously would want your captain to be fit and available for all games. And unfortunately, all of us age, so she’s not the fittest,’ Raj explained.
Beyond fitness, Raj also pointed to Harmanpreet’s inconsistent performances in crucial ICC events, observing a pattern of slow starts. This assessment comes despite Harmanpreet Kaur captaining India to their maiden ICC Women’s ODI World Cup title in 2025, where she scored a crucial 89 runs in the semi-final against Australia.
‘If you see Harman’s form in the three World Cups, the Dubai T20 World Cup [2024], the ODI World Cup [2025], and the recently concluded T20 World Cup [2026], we’ve seen a pattern. She gets those 15 or 20 runs but it always takes her three to four games to get her fifty in the World Cup,’ Raj noted, questioning if Harmanpreet fits into the team’s plans for the next World Cup cycle. In the 2024 T20 World Cup in the UAE, India exited in the group stage, but Harmanpreet was India’s top-scorer with 150 runs across four matches.
Smriti Mandhana for Longer Formats, Younger Blood for T20Is
Mithali Raj firmly advocated for Smriti Mandhana to assume leadership roles in the longer formats, citing Mandhana’s ‘vast experience’ and temperament. For the T20I format, Raj suggested a different approach, advocating for a younger captain to be groomed. She named Shafali Verma, who led India to the Under-19 World Cup title in 2023, and Jemimah Rodrigues, who captained Delhi Capitals in the WPL 2026 season, as strong candidates. Raj stressed the importance of giving any new captain sufficient time to settle into the role.
Call for Clear Succession Planning
Raj also severely criticized the lack of a clear succession plan within Indian women’s cricket. She argued that the selectors have failed to groom future leaders despite the presence of promising young talent. ‘We don’t have a roadmap. We don’t think about two years down the line, where do you see Indian team? We are only thinking about series to series. We don’t have a long-term plan,’ she stated, urging for a more strategic approach to leadership transition.
The former skipper clarified that her call for change is not solely based on India’s recent T20 World Cup performance but rather a comprehensive evaluation of a captain’s fitness, consistent form, and alignment with the team’s long-term vision.
As the Indian women’s cricket team navigates a pivotal period, Mithali Raj’s outspoken comments underscore the urgent need for a structured leadership transition and a clear roadmap for the future, particularly concerning the roles of Smriti Mandhana and the ongoing fitness challenges faced by Harmanpreet Kaur, despite her recent success in leading the team to a World Cup title.