Harmanpreet Kaur's captaincy couldn’t have been scripted any better

CHENNAI: Harmanpreet Kaur’s announcement came at an odd time: 10 AM on a random Tuesday morning. But it wasn’t surprising, or shocking either. If anything, it couldn’t have been better scripted.

She’s been at the forefront of India’s watershed decade for women’s cricket. From the moment she took over as India’s T20I captain to leading the side to its first ODI World Cup title in 2025, she’s been a leader and more, a face of the changing cricketing culture.

“This is not an easy decision. It carries years of memories, emotions, sacrifices, and moments that will stay with me for the rest of my life,” Harmanpreet wrote on Instagram as she announced her decision.

It began with India still finding its feet against the game’s most dominant forces, and ended with the biggest prize of them all – the ODI World Cup. 

Under Harmanpreet, Australia, England and South Africa were no longer unbeatable. Like how Sourav Ganguly’s era ran, India began walking into the contests believing that they belonged and increasingly made the opposition feel the same. 

Numbers alone will never explain Harmanpreet’s impact. Moments will.

Like that 171 against Australia in the 2017 World Cup semi-final. Twenty fours. Seven sixes. An innings so brutal that it did more than knock Australia out of the tournament. It also announced India as a force to be reckoned with in limited-overs format. 

Or the 2018 T20 World Cup in the Caribbean, where India reached the semi-finals. Or the 2020 edition in Australia, where Harmanpreet led India to the final in front of record crowds and helped push the women’s game into an entirely new space.

“As a captain, I have had to make difficult decisions. Decisions that were not always understood, not always easy, and sometimes came at a personal cost,” she wrote. “But every decision I made was with one intention — to make this TEAM better and to allow other players to grow, believe in themselves and become the best versions of themselves.”

That’s maybe the biggest part of the legacy she’s left. 

Over the last year, there have been growing signs of a transition within Indian women’s cricket. Smriti Mandhana, almost tailor-made for the next chapter, now looks set to inherit the leadership. And Harmanpreet seems at peace with that.

“I leave the captaincy today with a heart full of emotions, but also with PEACE,” she said. “Because I genuinely believe my team is in a good place. A team with talent, character, belief and a future that I am incredibly excited to watch and be a part of.”

She leaves not after a tournament that slipped away but after India finally climbing the summit she had spent years chasing. 

“I feel I have done my duty. I gave this team everything I had. I carried the responsibility with pride, and I will always be grateful for the privilege of leading Indian women’s cricket.”

Perhaps, that’s why the image she used on Instagram says more than any word could.

Harmanpreet picked up a picture of herself in India’s blue blazer in front of Lord’s – the home of cricket – and the very same place where her team etched history. 

“Blood. Sweat. Sacrifice. Pride.” She gave it all, and now as her captaincy ends, Harmanpreet gets to play simply for the love of the game again. That, if anything, is almost a perfect ending to one of the most successful chapters in Indian cricket.