BCCI to review Harmanpreet Kaur's captaincy after WT20 WC exit
What's the story
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) is likely to assess Harmanpreet Kaur's future as the captain of the Indian women's cricket team.
This comes after Team India's dismal outing at the 2024 ICC Women's T20 World Cup, where they couldn't get past the group stage.
The BCCI will apparently talk about this with Women's team coach Amol Muzumdar before announcing the squad for the New Zealand series, starting October 24.
Team performance
India's journey under Harmanpreet's leadership
Under Harmanpreet's leadership, Team India has tasted a fair bit of success in the WT20 WC, reaching the knockouts on multiple occasions and making it to the final in 2020.
However, their recent defeats against New Zealand and Australia in the 2024 edition have overshadowed these achievements.
Harmanpreet was made captain in 2016 after India's underwhelming performance at that year's T20 World Cup on home soil.
Leadership transition
BCCI considers leadership change for women's cricket team
A BCCI source told Indian Express, "The BCCI will certainly discuss whether to have a new captain on board going ahead."
The source added that while Harmanpreet will remain an integral part of the team, the board believes it may be time for a leadership transition.
The potential change in captaincy comes as India prepares to host the next ICC ODI World Cup, giving any new leader ample time to settle in before the 2025 tournament.
Captain's stance
Harmanpreet's performance and future prospects
In India's last group-stage match against Australia, despite Harmanpreet scoring an unbeaten half-century, her strike rate of 114.89 was criticized.
She admitted the team fell short, saying they didn't capitalize on loose balls during her 63-run partnership with Deepti Sharma.
"We could have controlled the boundaries. I think we were still in the game," said Harmanpreet, showing a willingness to learn from their mistakes going forward.