BCCI plans MS Dhoni-Virat Kohli style transition with Harmanpreet Kaur and Smriti Mandhana

BCCI president Mithun Manhas said Harmanpreet Kaur will remain in the Indian women's team to guide new captain Smriti Mandhana in a transition similar to the MS Dhoni-Virat Kohli model. Manhas told Sportstar that captaincy is difficult regardless of experience and having a senior player available provides valuable support during decision-making.

Mandhana served as Harmanpreet's deputy for much of her career and has already captained India in four ODIs and 18 T20Is. She has also led Maharashtra in domestic cricket and Royal Challengers Bengaluru in the Women's Premier League. Her first assignment as full-time captain is the limited-overs series against Zimbabwe beginning with three T20Is in Raipur from October 16.

Manhas drew parallels with previous men's team transitions where Sourav Ganguly guided Dhoni and Dhoni later supported Kohli and Rohit Sharma. The same pattern is now unfolding with Shubman Gill. Harmanpreet stepped down as captain across all formats after leading India to the 2025 World Cup title and a second straight Asian Games gold.