Smriti Mandhana snubbed: Mithali Raj names Harmanpreet Kaur’s replacement as skipper

India Women legend Mithali Raj has criticized the India Women's Team after their poor show in the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2024. The former India skipper feels that the team should go away with Harmanpreet Kaur as skipper and find a new talent to lead the side.

However, it is not Smriti Mandhana- the vice-captain of the Indian team for almost 7-8 years. On most occasions, the vice-captain is the next best man to lead the side if the captain is not available. However, Mithali Raj has named another youngster and her name might surprise many fans.

India Women fails to qualify for semis ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2024

One should understand why Mithali Raj has made such comments regarding Kaur, who is among the best performers for India to date. A few years ago when she emerged into the national side, she was dubbed as ‘Virat Kohli of India Women’.

Recently, India Women's team failed to qualify for the semi-finals of the ICC T20 World Cup 2024. India was part of Group A with Australia, New Zealand, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka on their side. The top two teams could qualify for semi-finals and India was one of the favorites.

Since the tournament is taking place in UAE with spin-friendly ground, no one ever doubted Team India's strength in the series. However, they lost their opening game to New Zealand and later in the last game against Australia.

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They managed to defeat Pakistan and Sri Lanka by big margins. However, they failed to chase down the 151-run target by reaching only 142/2. As a result, Australia and New Zealand topped the Group A points table to reach the semis.

Speaking to PTI after India’s defeat, Mithali Raj said she would want selectors to go ahead with a younger captain instead of Harmanpreet Kaur.

"If the selectors decide to change, I would go for a young captain. This is the time; if you delay more then we have another ODI World Cup on the horizon. If you are not doing it now, then don't do it later. Then it is too close to the World Cup”, she said.

Mithali Raj names player to replace Harmanpreet Kaur as captain

Mithali Raj, who is the highest-ever run-getter for India Women in international cricket, also named the player to replace him. She feels Jemimah Rodrigues is the perfect member to replace her. Jemimah Rodrigues is a middle-order batter for India and a Mumbai-based cricketer. She plays for Delhi Captains Women in the Women’s Premier League.

"Smriti (Mandhana), the vice-captain since 2016 is there but I think someone like Jemimah (Rodrigues), she's 24, she's young, she will serve you more. And (she) is someone who I feel on the field gets that energy. She speaks to everybody. I was very impressed by her in this tournament”, the right-handed batter Mithali Raj said.

"Despite playing those cameo roles, she never could convert her starts, but she is someone who really made an effort to build momentum if there was no momentum; and if there was momentum, she tried to carry that momentum," Raj further added.

Speaking about Team India’s weakness in the tournament, the 41-year-old stalwart said the Women-in-Blue were not quick enough to adjust to the slow wickets at Sharjah Cricket Stadium.

“Surprisingly, we took time to adjust to the slowness of the wicket. Unlike an ODI World Cup, it is a short tournament, you don't have a lot of time to adjust to the conditions. We were not quick enough to adjust”, Mithali Raj concluded.

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Australia Women and New Zealand qualifies for semis from Group A

Meanwhile, Australian Women and New Zealand Women are the two sides who will play in the semi-finals from Group A. While the Aussies won all 4 games in the group stage, NZ Women won 3 games and lost 1 match to finish in the 2nd spot.

New Zealand Women will face West Indies Women at Sharjah Cricket Stadium in UAE on Friday, October 18. On the other hand, Australia Women will face South Africa Women in Dubai on October 17.