Harmanpreet Kaur steps down as India-W captain
Harmanpreet Kaur, who spearheaded the Indian women to their first-ever global title last year, has stepped down as India captain.
In an Instagram post on Tuesday morning, Kaur announced her decision to renounce the Indian captaincy while expressing her belief that she has left the team in a ‘good’ place.
Kaur, currently 37, led India in five Tests, 51 ODIs and 155 T20Is. Her last tournament as the Indian captain came a couple of weeks ago where she led the Indian side to their second successive Asian Games gold medal in Nisshin last month. The decision came after Harman, India’s head coach, Amol Muzumdar and Smriti Mandhana met BCCI secretary, Devajit Saikia.
Harman wrote on her social media post, “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.”
She further added, “I have given everything I had to this team and to Indian women's cricket - my blood, my sweat, my time, and many times, a part of my own game and personal ambitions. There were moments when I had to put my individual performance, my own growth, and what I wanted for myself aside, because I believed the team had to come first.”
Acknowledging the difficult decisions that she had to make during her captaincy stint, Kaur stated, “I have given everything I had to this team and to Indian women's cricket - my blood, my sweat, my time, and many times, a part of my own game and personal ambitions. There were moments when I had to put my individual performance, my own growth, and what I wanted for myself aside, because I believed the team had to come first.”
Kaur continued, “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. But every decision I made was with one intention - to make this TEAM better and to give other players the opportunity to grow, believe in themselves and become the best versions of themselves."
Talking about the offing of the team, Kaur said “I leave the captaincy today with a heart full of emotions, but also with PEACE. 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. 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.”
She concluded by stating, “Now, it is time for me to turn the page. Captaincy may end today, but my love for Indian cricket never will. Thank you to every teammate, coach, support staff, management, BCCI, family members every single fan who stood by me through the highs and lows."
