Harmanpreet Kaur relinquishes India captaincy after World Cup triumph
Harmanpreet Kaur stepped down after India's first ODI World Cup win. She had pushed to play and be heard before becoming the face of the team's rise.
Harmanpreet Kaur stepped down as India captain after leading the side to its first ICC Women's ODI World Cup title. The 34-year-old from Moga took the catch that sealed India's victory in the final.
She fought to play the sport as a child, then fought to be taken seriously by selectors and media. Before the 2017 ODI World Cup, she told a media trainer that no one wanted to listen to the players' stories. Nine years later, India enters every major tournament as one of the favourites and its women players have become household names. Former selector Neetu David described the fighting spirit as something in her blood as a sardarni.
Harmanpreet now gets to play without the burden of captaincy. She first picked up cricket after trying hockey and impressed coach Kamaldeesh Pal Singh Sodhi by hitting sixes while playing with boys. Her early focus on power hitting shaped her approach to the game.
CricHubb Take
India's next captain inherits a dressing room where the fight is no longer to be noticed but to stay on top. The question is whether that shift changes how the side prepares for tournaments where the margin for error is smaller.