New Delhi, Oct 6 (IANS) BCCI Vice President Rajeev Shukla hailed Harmanpreet Kaur as a ‘true inspiration’ for Indian women’s cricket after she stepped down as captain across all formats on Tuesday.
Shukla said Harmanpreet’s leadership, particularly India’s historic 2025 Women’s World Cup triumph, had inspired a generation of young girls to take up cricket and pursue their dreams.
“Harmanpreet Kaur has been a true inspiration for Indian women’s cricket. As captain, she led India to the historic 2025 Women’s World Cup title and inspired countless young girls across the country to take up cricket and pursue their dreams,” Shukla wrote on X.
“As she steps down as captain, wishing Harmanpreet Kaur the very best for the journey ahead,” he added.
Harmanpreet announced her decision to relinquish captaincy across all formats on Tuesday, bringing an end to a leadership tenure in which she guided India to several landmark achievements.
The 37-year-old took over as India’s full-time T20I captain in 2018 and became the ODI captain in 2022 after succeeding legendary batter Mithali Raj.
Her biggest achievement as captain came in 2025 when she became the first woman to lead India to a senior ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup title, with the team defeating South Africa in the final on home soil.
Harmanpreet also guided India to four Asia Cup titles as captain in 2012, 2016, 2022 and 2026. Under her leadership, India won consecutive Asian Games gold medals in Hangzhou in 2022 and Aichi-Nagoya in 2026.
During her captaincy, India also recorded their first bilateral Women’s ODI series win in England since 1999 in 2022, secured a historic Test victory against Australia in 2023 and registered a breakthrough T20I series win against England in 2025.
Harmanpreet also became the first cricketer to captain a side in more than 150 T20 matches, surpassing leading men’s captains, including MS Dhoni and Rohit Sharma.
Earlier this year, she led India to a historic 270-run victory over England in the first-ever women’s Test played at Lord’s Cricket Ground.
Announcing her decision, Harmanpreet said stepping down was an emotional call after years of memories, sacrifices and responsibility.
“Today, I step down as captain of the Indian Women’s Cricket Team across all formats. 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 wrote on Instagram.
“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,” she added.
Harmanpreet, however, made it clear that her international career will continue and she remains committed to Indian cricket.
“Captaincy may end today, but my love for Indian cricket never will. Thank you to every teammate, coach, support staff, management, BCCI, family members, and every single fan who stood by me through the highs and lows,” she wrote.
“Now, I’m ready to play for the love of the game again. Captaincy ends. The journey continues,” she concluded.
–IANS
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