End of an Era: Harmanpreet Kaur’s story, and of Indian women's cricket

It will be an understatement to state that the decision of Harmanpreet Kaur to step down from captaincy of the national Women’s side marks the end of an era. It was no coincidence that she started her first class career around the same time that Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) took over the administration of the women’s game in the country, an event that changed the history of this sport in a definitive manner. This change over gave a huge boost to women’s cricket in the country as the deep pockets and the excellent infrastructure facilities available with BCCI - the grounds, umpires, scorers etc., was made available to the women cricketers as well, with extremely positive consequences. Harmanpreet belongs to the first batch of cricketers who benefitted from this change over and she can take pride from the fact that she repaid to the nation and to BCCI in more than full measure through her contributions to the game, both as a player and as captain.

So much has been written about the exploits of Harmanpreet with the bat and her performance as skipper during the days following her announcement that talking about them runs the risk of repetition. However, her journey from the small town of Moga in Punjab to become the most influential woman cricketer of her generation is nothing short of fascinating and offers lessons to all aspiring cricketers, both male and female, across the country. She has been a trailblazer in more ways than one and commands a special place in the history of women’s cricket in India.

Despite BCCI taking over the administration of the game in 2006, women’s cricket remained on the fringes of public imagination for another decade. It was only during the International Cricket Council (ICC) Women’s World Cup in 2017 that the performance of the national squad won the attention of the followers of the game across the country. And this was solely on account of Harmanpreet’s superb batting during this championship. Her unbeaten 171, which came off a mere 115 balls, against the highly fancied Australia propelled the side to a match winning total of 281 runs. More than the number of runs scored, it was the manner in which she put the bowling to the sword, pummelling 20 boundaries and 7 sixers, that snuffed the fight out of the Aussies. The fact that India lost the finals that followed, to hosts England, by a tantalisingly low margin, despite Harmanpreet scoring a valiant half century, only helped to add an element of poignancy to her efforts.

This innings by Harmanpreet has been compared with the unbeaten 175 scored by Kapil Dev against Zimbabwe in the 1983 World Cup, which inspired the side to win that edition of the championship and changed the course of the game in the country by taking the sport even to the small towns and villages. Harmanpreet’s knock electrified the country and it was reported that 126 million people in India watched the finals against England that took place a couple of days later, on July 23. Women’s cricket in India has not looked back since that fateful day.

Harmanpreet had created history even prior to this innings by playing in a foreign franchisee league. Her performance during the tour of the national side to Australia in 2015-16 when she piloted the chase during the first T20 International and helped fashion a win for the visitors and her aggressive approach caught the attention of franchisee owners in the Australian Big Bash League (BBL). This resulted in her being offered a contract to play for Sydney Thunders in this championship making her the first Indian cricketer, male or female, to play in a foreign franchisee T20 league. She proved to be such a big hit in BBL that she was chosen for the Player of the Tournament award in the 2021-22 season. She also played a couple of seasons in “The Hundred” in England, where she turned out for Manchester Originals and Trent Rockets.

The highlight of Harmanpreet’s tenure as captain was the title triumph in the 2025 ICC Women’s World Cup held in India. In the semifinals against Australia, she partnered Jemimah Rodriguez in a 167 run stand for the third wicket, which came off a mere 26 overs, to put India firmly on the path to a stunning victory. Set a target of 339 runs, the Indian chase appeared to be in trouble after the loss of two early wickets, when Harmanpreet joined Jemimah and started counterattacking with gusto. Though Jemimah emerged as the star of the match by staying till the end and taking the side past the winning post, it was Harmanpreet’s innings of 89, in 88 balls with 10 boundaries and 2 sixers, that wrested the initiative from the Aussie bowlers and secured the upper hand for India at a critical juncture.

Though her record in test matches is not a glittering one, Harmanpreet can take pride in having led India to four wins in the five tests played under her leadership. This includes the first ever victory recorded by India over Australia in this format in December 2023, when the side triumphed over the Aussie women by 8 wickets at Mumbai. She did not have a great game with the bat but marshalled the resources of the team in an astute manner to set up a facile win. She was at the helm when the side thrashed England by 270 runs at the Lord’s in July 2026.

A look at the career of Harmanpreet would show that she reserved her best for the Aussies. This is no mean feat in an era where Australia occupies in women’s cricket a position comparable to that held by West Indies during the 1970’s and 80’s. She always managed to elevate her performance levels when confronted with tough opponents in difficult conditions. This invariably brought the best out of her when traits like fortitude, resilience, fearlessness and aggression, that are inherent to her, came to the fore and led the way. She never shied away from a fight on the cricket field but was always a picture of humility and deference outside it. She did not chase records nor did she play for them as she always placed the achievements of the team above personal glory and achievements.

The biggest legacy that Harmanpreet leaves behind her as she steps down from the captaincy is instilling the belief in the side that they can defeat any team in the international arena. Though India could never reach the pole position in ICC cricket rankings nor even remain in the top 3 for a long stretch of time, she ensured that no opponent could afford to take her team lightly. The ability to look the opponent in the eye and punch above their weight are attributes inculcated in the national side under her tutelage. She also possesses a good eye for identifying talent and nurturing them. She also backed those she placed faith in to the hilt, despite a temporary run of poor performances.

At 37 years, Harmanpreet is no spring chicken but she is fit and raring to go and has another couple of years of good cricket left in her. She will be free to revert to her attacking self as a batter, without the restraints of responsibility that captaincy placed on her shoulders. She will also be able to move up the batting order without any worries about bolstering the lower middle over, as was often the case during her tenure as skipper. She gets along well with Smriti Mandhana, her successor and can be a reliable source of advice for the new skipper.

Harmanpreet’s exit from captaincy marks the close of a glorious chapter in the history of Indian women’s cricket. It is now the task of Smriti to carry forward the torch and take the side to even greater heights. Let us wish her good luck and success even as we doff our hats to Harmanpreet for her immense contributions to the national side as captain.