Bringing a historic chapter of Indian cricket to a close, captain Harmanpreet Kaur has stepped down from her leadership role across all formats with immediate effect. The 37-year-old veteran, who managed the T20 team from 2016 and assumed full-time ODI and Test duties in 2022, stated on social media that she is ready to play purely for the joy of the game once more while stepping away from captaincy. Kaur finishes her tenure having led India in 5 Tests, 51 ODIs, and a world-record 155 T20Is, highlighted by her crowning achievement of guiding India to their maiden Women’s Cricket World Cup title on home turf last November. Beyond that monumental victory, her leadership tenure produced immense success, including consecutive Asian Games gold medals in 2022 and 2026, a Commonwealth Games silver medal in 2022, and strong finishes at the 2018, 2020, and 2023 ICC Women’s T20 World Cups.
