The captain of the Indian women's cricket team, Harmanpreet Kaur, has announced her decision to step down from leading the team across all formats. She shared this news in an emotional Instagram post on Tuesday. Harmanpreet emphasized that this was not an easy decision, as this journey is linked to years of memories, feelings, sacrifices, and moments that will remain with her forever.
In her message, she wrote: 'Today I am stepping down as the captain of the Indian women's cricket team in all formats. It is not an easy decision. It holds years of memories, feelings, sacrifices, and moments that will stay with me for life.'
Harmanpreet stated in her message that she gave everything she had to the Indian team and women's cricket. This included not only the sweat shed on the field but also her time, as well as parts of her own game and personal ambitions.
She noted: 'I gave this team and women's cricket everything I had—my blood, my sweat, my time, and sometimes part of my game and personal ambitions.'
As captain, she repeatedly prioritized the needs of the team over her personal interests. Harmanpreet said there were times when she had to postpone her own game, her development, and what she wanted for herself because she believed the team should come first.
Harmanpreet's decision marks the end of a long period of captaincy in Indian women's cricket. Attention will now turn to who will lead the team across all formats.
Nevertheless, stepping down from captaincy does not mean saying goodbye to cricket. Harmanpreet may remain part of the team as a player, and now she will have the opportunity to focus on her game from a new perspective.
Her message is not just an announcement of stepping down from the captaincy but also reflects the path where she often put the team before herself to support it. Although the responsibility of captain no longer rests on her, her contribution and journey in Indian women's cricket continue.
In T20 International format, Harmanpreet Kaur led India in 155 matches, securing 92 victories. During this period, the team suffered 57 defeats, one match ended in a tie, and five matches were without a result. Her win percentage was 59.35%, and her loss percentage was 36.77%.
In the One Day International format, she also demonstrated impressive captaincy, playing 51 matches for India. In these games, the team won 30 matches, lost 19, one match was a tie, and one was without a result. Her win percentage was 58.82%.
Harmanpreet's overall win percentage in T20 and ODI formats hovered around 59%, illustrating the picture of her long tenure as captain.
In Test matches, Harmanpreet Kaur led India in 5 games, winning 4 and losing only 1. Her win percentage in this format reached 80%, which is the most successful indicator of her captaincy experience across all three formats.