Former India captain Mithali Raj believes the time has come for Smriti Mandhana to take over the leadership of India’s ODI and Test teams after Harmanpreet Kaur, saying the veteran opener should have ideally been handed the role a few years ago.
Speaking to PTI after India’s disappointing exit from the Women’s T20 World Cup, Mithali said Harmanpreet’s future as captain cannot be judged solely on another ICC tournament failure, but added that the selectors must now consider her fitness, form and whether she fits into India’s plans for the next World Cup cycle.
India crashed out before the semi-finals of the T20 World Cup for the second successive edition, intensifying scrutiny over Harmanpreet’s leadership despite guiding the side to a historic ODI World Cup triumph last year.
“Yes, we did not qualify for the semifinals for the second time in a row but that cannot be the only reason or criteria to come to the conclusion that you need to change the leader,” Mithali said.
“I believe there are a few boxes that one needs to see if the player ticks.”
The legendary batter pointed to Harmanpreet’s recurring fitness issues as one of the biggest concerns.
“One is, of course, fitness, which I feel is very important. Harman in the last two or three years, you see the physio quite often on the ground, every game when she’s playing. There are a few games that she was unavailable. You obviously would want your captain to be fit and available for all games. Unfortunately, all of us age, so she’s not the fittest,” Mithali said.
She also questioned Harmanpreet’s returns with the bat in recent ICC events.
“If you see Harman’s form in the three World Cups… 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.”
Mithali said the selectors also need to decide whether Harmanpreet remains part of India’s plans for the next ODI and T20 World Cup cycles.
“And the third factor is, does she fit into the scheme of things in the next cycle of your One Day World Cup or a T20 World Cup? Whoever is in the position to take this decision has to factor these things.”
At the same time, she insisted that the accountability for India’s repeated failures in ICC tournaments should not rest with the captain alone.
“If you’re thinking that only because the T20 World Cup hasn’t gone well for India, then a change needs to happen there. Even the coach (Amol Muzumdar) is accountable because both captain and coach take the decisions of the playing XI.”
‘MANDHANA SHOULD LEAD INDIA IN ODI AND TEST’
For Mithali, the successor in the longer formats is clear.
The former skipper said Mandhana should lead both the ODI and Test teams, adding that the experienced opener deserved the responsibility much earlier in her career.
“I at least thought Smriti would lead the ODI format two or three years back. But now also, with the experience that she has, the vast experience, at least the one-day and Test format should be given to her.”
Mithali stressed that India’s longer formats require an experienced captain capable of guiding a team through the next World Cup cycle.
COULD SHAFALI BE INDIA T20I CAPTAIN?
While backing Mandhana for the longer formats, Mithali believes India should look towards youth in T20Is, naming Shafali Varma as her preferred choice to replace Harmanpreet.
“For T20Is, I think Shafali. Her format is T20Is. And she has led the Under-19 World Cup. Why not Shafali?”
She also named Jemimah Rodrigues as another leadership option after her captaincy experience in the Women’s Premier League.
“Jemi too, of course. She has led in the WPL. But I do believe that whoever they pick, they need to give them some time to settle because all of us got time to settle in our role as a leader.”
Mithali questioned why India had not done enough to groom future leaders despite Shafali leading the country to the Under-19 Women’s World Cup title and Niki Prasad emerging as another promising captain.
“Shafali Verma led India to the U-19 World Cup title but she was not given a leadership role. Why? Ditto for Niki Prasad, who should have been made India A skipper.
“I don’t understand the thought process here. We don’t have a roadmap. We don’t think about two years down the lane, where do you see the Indian team? We are only thinking about series to series. We don’t have a long-term plan.”
FITNESS REMAINS A CONCERN
Beyond the captaincy debate, Mithali also highlighted India’s recurring fitness issues, saying they have directly impacted both the pace attack and the team’s fielding standards.
“Fast bowling is obviously a skill which also goes hand-in-hand with fitness. Sometimes we pick players when they are still growing. Apart from the skill, they’re still understanding what is the fitness regime as a fast bowler.”
She added that India’s fielding standards will only improve if players devote equal attention to it outside national camps.
“As far as fielding is concerned, it also boils down to your individual training. All of us, when we go back home, focus on our batting or bowling, but not particularly on fielding. We only do that when we come into the camps.”
Mithali also called for India to develop more finishers in the mould of wicketkeeper-batter Richa Ghosh, saying a stronger lower order would help the team close out games in ICC tournaments.
– Ends
