Harmanpreet faces sack call immediately after historic Women’s World Cup victory: ‘Smriti should be made captain’

Fresh after India’s historic Women’s World Cup 2025 victory, former captain Shantha Rangaswamy has asked BCCI to make a leadership change, replacing Harmanpreet Kaur with Smriti Mandhana as India’s captain. Harmanpreet took over the mantle from Mithali Raj and led India to their first-ever World Cup win on Sunday as they defeated South Africa by 52 runs in the final at the DY Patil Stadium in Navi Mumbai.

Harmanpreet had also led India to the 2020 T20 World Cup final, which the Women In Blue lost by 85 runs to Australia at the Melbourne Cricket Ground.

‘Harmanpreet can fumble tactically’

But Rangaswamy feels the 36-year-old Harmanpreet isn’t the most tactically astute skipper and replacing her with Mandhana would bode well for the team in the future.

“It’s overdue. Because Harman, as a batter and a fielder, is brilliant. Yes. But tactically, she can fumble at times. I feel she can contribute more if she’s without the burden of captaincy,” Rangaswamy said.

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“Smriti should be made captain across formats. You need to plan for future World Cups also,” she said.

Also Read | Unsung architects who built India’s Women’s World Cup triumph

Rangaswamy added that this may not be the best time to make the captaincy change, but felt such a tough decision would extend Harmanpreet’s career.

“See, when it comes after a success like this, it will not be taken well, but in the interest of Indian cricket and in Harman’s own interest, I think she can contribute much more as a batter without the burden of consistency,” she added.

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“She still has three-four years of big-time cricket left. Not being captain would allow her to do that,” the former India skipper said.

Also Read | Amol Muzumdar: The mastermind behind India's historic Women’s World Cup triumph

Discussing the impact of the World Cup win, Rangaswamy said it can be game-changing and the effect would become clear in the next 10 years.

“Ten years down the line, you see the massive impact of this win. This will inspire millions to take up the sport,” she said.