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Why Smriti Mandhana Emerges As The Prime Contender To Succeed Harmanpreet Kaur
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News18•06-10-2026, 13:24
Why Smriti Mandhana Emerges As The Prime Contender To Succeed Harmanpreet Kaur
- •Harmanpreet Kaur recently relinquished her position as India women's cricket captain across all formats after a decade in charge.
- •Smriti Mandhana is widely seen as the front-runner to take over the captaincy due to her seniority and extensive experience.
- •Mandhana has a strong record as a stand-in captain, securing 15 victories in 22 matches across ODIs and T20Is.
- •She recently surpassed Mithali Raj to become the leading run-scorer and century-maker in women's international cricket.
- •Mandhana's leadership credentials have received strong backing from former captains like Mithali Raj and Diana Edulji.
Key Questions Answered
Smriti Mandhana holds a strong record as a stand-in captain, securing 15 victories across 22 games in ODIs and T20Is. Specifically, she has won all four ODI matches she captained between 2024 and 2025, and she has won 11 out of 18 T20Is.
Former India captain Mithali Raj backed Mandhana for the ODI and Test captaincy, while former captain Diana Edulji called for her to take charge across all three formats.
Mandhana surpassed Mithali to become the leading run-scorer in women's international cricket and also became the leading century-maker with 18 hundreds across formats. Additionally, she became India's leading century-maker in women's ODIs in 2024 by scoring her eighth hundred against New Zealand.
