New Delhi, October 7, 2026 (Yes Punjab News)
Former India women’s chief selector Hemlata Kala believes Harmanpreet Kaur’s ability to bring out the best in her teammates will remain one of the defining features of her tenure as India’s captain across formats.
Harmanpreet recently stepped down from captaincy, bringing an end to a leadership stint that included India’s historic 2025 Women’s ODI World Cup triumph at home.
Kala, who was part of the selection panel when Harmanpreet was appointed India’s T20I captain in 2016, said the aggressive all-rounder’s leadership style consistently demanded the best from her players.
“I will remember Harman as the Indian captain who knew how to get the best out of the players. It’s similar to what Virat Kohli did in his time as India’s captain. She always had an aggressive spirit as the Indian skipper and knew how to get the most and best effort out of the players,” Kala said.
Harmanpreet’s decision to relinquish the captaincy came after months of discussions around a possible leadership transition. According to people familiar with the developments, the debate gained momentum after India suffered another early exit from the Women’s T20 World Cup, with the team believed to need a fresh approach in the shortest format.
Her final match as captain came in the Asian Games gold-medal match in Nisshin, Japan, where India defeated Sri Lanka by 147 runs. It brought her leadership journey full circle, having first taken charge as a stand-in captain in the 2012 T20 Asia Cup final against Pakistan.
Harmanpreet’s biggest achievement came last year when she led India to their maiden senior women’s ODI World Cup title. She also guided the side to Asia Cup victories, two Asian Games gold medals, a Commonwealth Games silver and India’s first women’s Test victory at Lord’s.
She led India in 211 matches across formats, winning 126 at a 59.7 per cent success rate. Kala also highlighted Harmanpreet’s role in helping emerging players such as Shafali Verma, Kranti Gaud and N Sree Charani develop into match-winners.
“Harmanpreet has done so many wonderful things in her long captaincy journey. She led us to the World Cup win at home last year. In 2020, she was the captain of Team India who reached the final of the T20 World Cup. In 2018, she took the team to the semi-finals,” Kala said.
She recalled that Harmanpreet’s leadership qualities were visible from the beginning of her international career and developed steadily through the years.
“She has improved day by day in terms of bowling changes and bringing a spirit of togetherness to the team,” Kala said.
Kala strongly backed Harmanpreet to continue playing for India despite losing the captaincy, describing her as an irreplaceable middle-order match-winner.
“She should definitely be in the team because she is a match-winner. Even if she doesn’t have the captaincy armband, there is no problem. There are no middle-order batters like her in the cricketing world right now who can play spinners really well and ruthlessly dismantle their lengths,” she said.
Kala also believes Harmanpreet will not be affected by the absence of the captaincy armband, pointing to her 171 not out against Australia in 2017, when she was vice-captain.
With Smriti Mandhana taking over the leadership, Kala expressed confidence in the new captain’s ability to build on what Harmanpreet established.
“Smriti has been the vice-captain and has the experience of captaining India and other teams before. There are a lot of things which she can take forward, and she has a lot of good qualities as a leader,” Kala said.
She described the two players as having contrasting leadership styles, with Harmanpreet known for her aggression and Smriti for her calm approach.
Kala said Harmanpreet’s leadership legacy would ultimately be defined by the transformation of India from near-finalists into world champions, after several painful defeats in major finals and knockout matches.
With the captaincy now passed to Smriti, Harmanpreet’s experience and batting prowess could remain central to India’s next phase as the team looks to build on its World Cup success.
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