Harmanpreet Kaur’s departure from the captaincy of India’s women’s cricket team is an awkward decision precisely because it comes at the wrong time for easy narratives. She is not leaving after presiding over a decline. She is stepping aside after leading India to the Women’s ODI World Cup, the prize that had eluded the country since the team first came close in 2017. That makes the change less a verdict on Harmanpreet than a statement about what Indian women’s cricket now expects of itself.

For much of Harmanpreet’s career, the argument was about whether women’s cricket could command the same seriousness as the men’s game. Her extraordinary 171 against Australia in the 2017 World Cup semi-final was an important moment in that transformation. The defeat by England in the final still hurt, but the Indian public had seen something it could identify with: a team capable of beating the best on the biggest stage. Eight years later, Harmanpreet was again central when India overcame Australia in the 2025 semi-final and went on to win the World Cup. The symbolism is hard to miss.

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