New Delhi

Harmanpreet Kaur’s era as captain of Indian women’s cricket has come to an end on Tuesday.  

The 37-year-old has decided to step down from the captaincy with immediate effect, bringing the curtain down on a leadership journey that transformed her from a powerful middle-order batter into one of the most accomplished captains in Indian cricket.

Kaur first took charge of India in T20Is in 2016 before becoming the team’s full-time ODI and Test captain in 2022, following the retirement of legendary skipper Mithali Raj. 

Four years later, she leaves the role with a piece of history that few Indian captains can claim.

Her defining moment came in November last year, when she led India to their maiden ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup title on home soil. The triumph placed her alongside Kapil Dev and MS Dhoni as only the third Indian captain to win a 50-over World Cup.

Kaur has since joined an even more exclusive club. She is one of only five Indian captains to have lifted a World Cup, alongside Rohit Sharma and Suryakumar Yadav, who led India to T20 World Cup glory in 2024 and 2026, respectively.

Kaur’s influence was perhaps most pronounced in the shortest format. She captained India to the semi-finals of the 2018 and 2023 ICC Women’s T20 World Cups and guided the side to the final in 2020, where India finished runners-up.

Her longevity as a T20I captain is equally remarkable. Kaur led India in 155 T20Is, becoming the first captain in international cricket, male or female, to lead a team in more than 150 matches in the format.

Her final assignment as captain ended on another high, with India securing a second consecutive gold medal at the Asian Games, following their triumph in 2023.

While the World Cup victory will forever stand as the crowning achievement of Kaur’s captaincy, her leadership journey has been marked by several other significant milestones.

She led India in five Tests and 51 ODIs, in addition to her record 155 T20Is. At the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, she guided India to a silver medal, producing a memorable 65-run knock in the final. Her innings ultimately went in vain as Australia claimed the gold, but it underlined the competitive spirit that defined her captaincy.

Across formats, Kaur's leadership helped take Indian women's cricket through a period of growing ambition, greater global visibility and landmark success.

She became the captain who finally delivered India's first Women's Cricket World Cup title. She became a two-time Asian Games gold-medal-winning captain. She led India through multiple deep runs in T20 World Cups and established a record for captaincy appearances in the format that may stand for years.

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From taking charge of India’s T20 side in 2016 to lifting the World Cup trophy on home soil nearly a decade later, Harmanpreet Kaur’s captaincy journey has been one of perseverance, evolution and historic achievement.