Indian Women’s Cricket Team had an underwhelming performance in the ongoing Women’s T20 World Cup 2024 and were knocked out without qualifying for the semi final.
There have been questions raised on the team and the captaincy of Harmanpreet Kaur. Former India captain, Mithali Raj has said that the BCCI should change the captain of the Indian Women’s Cricket Team.
She feels that there should be a young captain in place and if the selectors decides to remove Kaur as the captain, then that decision should be taken now and not close to the Women’s ODI World Cup in 2025.
Mithali Raj wants BCCI to go for a young captain as a replacement for Harmanpreet Kaur
Throwing his weight behind opting for a younger captain, here’s what Mithali Raj said:
“If the selectors decide to change, I would go for a young captain. This is the time [to change]; if you delay more then we have another [ODI] World Cup on the horizon [October 2025]. If you are not doing it now, then don’t do it later. Then it is too close to the World Cup.”
She also talked about the potential replacements of Kaur. Mithali stated that Smriti Mandhana has been the vice-captain since 2016 but BCCI should go for a younger replacement with the likes of Jeminah Rodrigues, who is 24-years-old and will be a long term option for the team.
Raj is very impressed with the way Rodrigues interacts with the players in the team and her energy levels on the field.
She added: “Smriti [Mandhana, the vice-captain since 2016] is there but I think someone like Jemimah [Rodrigues], she’s 24, she’s young, she will serve you more. And [she] is someone who I feel on the field gets that energy. She speaks to everybody. I was very impressed by her in this tournament.
It remains to be seen what the BCCI does. Whether they do sack Kaur and go for a younger replacement or continue to trust Kaur.
