Live Update: Reports: Harmanpreet Kaur and Smriti Mandhana disagreed over the title. A team source confirmed that the title dispute had caused unrest in the Indian women’s dressing room before Harmanpreet Kaur’s retirement.
Reports: Harmanpreet Kaur and Smriti Mandhana disagreed over the post (Source /) Smriti Mandhana has been named the new clan of the Indian women’s cricket team after Harmanpreet Kaur resigned from her post in all formats. However, the transition was not without friction. A team source confirmed that the position had become a serious point of tension between the two veteran players.
The 37-year-old Harmanpreet, who hails from Moga and led India for the first time in 2016, resigned after a review meeting with the BCCI. She ended her leadership tenure after helping India to a second consecutive gold medal at the Asian Games in January. The decision to resign came after it was made clear to him at the review meeting in Guwahati chaired by BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia that a change of guard was inevitable.
“They haven’t seen eye to eye for some time now and that has led to obvious unrest in the dressing room,” the team source was quoted as saying by India Today. Why was Mandhana seen as the obvious choice to succeed Harmanpreet? Mandhana, who made her international debut in 2013, has established herself as one of the leading strikers in women’s cricket.
The 30-year-old left-handed opener has amassed over 10,000 runs across all formats and is widely regarded as India’s best batsman by far. It was no secret that Mandhana had become impatient with the selectors who maintained the status quo in control even after India ended their ICC trophy drought by winning the ODI World Cup on home soil. In a recent interview, she expressed her desire to run the camp.
After India’s gold medal at the Asian Games, she also said that the team should aim for bigger tournaments. Between these peaks, India suffered early exits from two consecutive T20 World Cups, raising questions about their leadership, particularly in the shortest format. Former India ctain Mithali Raj had spoken out after India’s exit from the T20 World Cup in Britain earlier this year, questioning Harmanpreet’s form and fitness and arguing that the selectors should have proached Mandhana two or three years earlier.
“I thought she would get into the ODI format two or three years ago. She can still be an ODI and Test ctain and the T20 title could go to someone younger like Shafali (Verma),” Mithali had said. What does Harmanpreet’s continued presence as a player mean for the team dynamic?
Harmanpreet said she intends to continue as a player for the next two to three years. This means the two senior players will share the dressing room, with Mandhana now taking the position that previously caused tension between them. This is not the first time that the selectors have faced criticism over a change at the helm of the Indian women’s team.
When Harmanpreet took over as ODI boss from Mithali after the 2022 World Cup, relations between the two veterans were reportedly at an all-time low and the episode led to factional fighting within the team. While India performed well in the recent Asia Cup and Asian Games, Harmanpreet has not been at his best with the bat in these seasons. As a specialist hitter for the team’s future, expectations for her individual performance are likely to rise.
It remains an open question whether Harmanpreet and Mandhana can put aside their differences for the good of the team.
