Former India women’s captain Diana Edulji has called for major changes in the leadership of the national team, saying it is time for the BCCI to consider separate captains for all the three formats and ease Harmanpreet Kaur’s responsibilities.
Speaking at the trophy unveiling ceremony of the Maharani Trophy KSCA T20 in Bengaluru on Monday, Diana Edulji said that the pressure of captaincy has affected Harmanpreet Kaur’s batting. She believes the experienced batter should be allowed to focus on her game, adding that the leadership transition has already been delayed and younger players should now be prepared to take charge.
Diana Edulji also recommended that India adopt a split-captaincy model similar to the men’s team. She further suggested appointing different coaches for each format instead of having Amol Mazumdar oversee all the three teams. According to her, introducing new leaders and fresh coaching ideas would help the team move forward.
When asked about possible future captains, Diana Edulji named Smriti Mandhana and Shafali Verma as strong candidates. She said that both the players have the ability to lead and should be groomed for leadership roles in the coming years.
Diana Edulji’s comments come after India’s group-stage exit at the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup raised questions about the team’s approach. However, Harmanpreet Kaur also led India to the historic 2025 World Cup title and the recent Test victory over England at Lord’s, and she has shown no signs of stepping away from captaincy.
Recently, Smriti Mandhana also said she is “absolutely ready” to take over the captaincy if the opportunity arises in the future.
