Former captain Shantha Rangaswamy believes Smriti Mandhana is the greatest candidate to succeed Mithali Raj as India's ODI and Test captain following the Women's World Cup in New Zealand next year.
Harmanpreet Kaur has been the T20 captain since 2016, but her inconsistency as a batter means she is unlikely to succeed Mithali in the longer formats.Mandhana, on the other hand, has carved a name for herself as one of the world's top batters.
"Smriti is the ideal choice after Mithali retires. She has been an excellent performer for India and should be given the opportunity to lead the country," said Shantha was the captain of India's first-ever Test victory in 1976.
Shantha, who is also a member of the BCCI Apex Council, believes that captaincy has influenced Harmanpreet's batting, which she believes is crucial to India's success.
Mandhana, who has played four Tests, 62 ODIs, and 84 T20s, was last seen in Australia during the Women's Big Bash, where she also got a century against the Melbourne Renegades.
Harmanpreet, who has struggled with form and fitness in recent months, performed admirably in the Big Bash, but it remains to be seen if she can maintain her form at the highest level.
Before the World Cup in March-April, India's next assignment will be an away series against New Zealand. In 2017, India came in second place.
Shantha said the Women's Challenger, which ended on Thursday, demonstrated that the country is not short of talent.
She added, "the event has unearthed a lot of talent which augurs well for women's cricket. It also shows that we are ready for a Women's IPL.”
