BCCI wants Harmanpreet Kaur to guide Smriti Mandhana as captain
BCCI president Mithun Manhas hopes Harmanpreet Kaur will mentor new captain Smriti Mandhana following the Dhoni-Kohli model.
BCCI president Mithun Manhas said Harmanpreet Kaur's presence in the squad will help new captain Smriti Mandhana during the leadership transition. He compared the arrangement to MS Dhoni mentoring Virat Kohli after stepping down as India captain.
Mandhana's first assignment as full-time captain is the limited-overs series against Zimbabwe starting with three T20Is in Raipur on Friday. She has already led India in 18 T20Is and four ODIs as Harmanpreet's deputy.
Manhas said the model worked for the men's team when Sourav Ganguly guided Dhoni and when Kohli and Rohit Sharma supported Shubman Gill. He added that captaincy decisions become easier when an experienced player is available for consultation.
CricHubb Take
The real test for this setup comes when Harmanpreet and Smriti disagree on team selection — that's when the BCCI finds out whether the Dhoni-Kohli template actually travels to the women's game.