Former India women's cricketer Diana Edulji has backed Smriti Mandhana to take over as captain of the Indian women's cricket team from Harmanpreet Kaur.
Edulji pointed to the current Indian captain's age while explaining her view. Harmanpreet is 37 years old, and Edulji said she would be nearing 40 by the time the next World Cup takes place.
Edulji further said India should hand the leadership duties to 30-year-old Mandhana and appoint a youngster as vice-captain. She believes the move would help ensure a smooth transition in leadership.
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"We are holding back Smriti Mandhana for a long time. By the time the next World Cup comes along, Harman will be nearing 40, so let's give a good run to Smriti and look at two youngsters as vice-captains. My humble request to Harman would be to let people ask why and not why not," Edulji told Mid-Day.
Anjum Chopra Praises Mandhana's Evolved Game
Meanwhile, former India captain Anjum Chopra has highlighted Mandhana's development as a batter, particularly her improved power game and ability to dominate spinners.
Chopra feels Mandhana's approach can serve as a blueprint for younger players as women's T20 cricket continues to evolve rapidly.
Mandhana also reached a major milestone in her international career during the recently concluded Asia Cup, becoming the leading run-scorer across formats in women's international cricket.
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She achieved the landmark with a century against Hong Kong, surpassing legendary Indian batter and former captain Mithali Raj in the all-time run-scoring charts.
"What has become so nice to see is that in the last two years, two and a half years, how she has worked on her power game. How she is able to clear the boundary with such ease and confidence. That is such a heartening sign to see," Chopra told PTI in a conversation.
"Earlier, we were having a chat about how players need to improve. I think you don't need to go too very far, especially for a player who is in the middle order or a younger player coming in," Chopra added.
Mandhana is also eight runs away from becoming the highest run-scorer in T20 internationals.
"You look at how Smriti was playing T20 cricket two years ago or 50-over cricket two years ago and how she is playing T20 cricket now. I mean, extreme domination, especially against spinners," Chopra said.
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Mandhana's continued development with the bat and the discussion around India's future leadership have brought renewed focus to her role in the team's next phase.
The Harmanpreet Kaur-led side is currently in Japan for the Asian Games. On Friday, India thrashed Japan by eight wickets to qualify for the semi-finals, where they will face Bangladesh.
The women's cricket competition at the Asian Games is being played in the T20 format.
(With PTI Inputs.)
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