According to former Indian cricket player Mithali Raj, Harmanpreet Kaur should resign as captain. Under her guidance, India lost both their first league match against New Zealand and their subsequent match against Australia by nine runs, thereby missing out on the semi-finals of the T20 World Cup 2024.
Mithali feels Jemimah Rodrigues fits the bill and wants a fresh face to lead. She clarified that Smriti Mandhana, who is presently having trouble with her form, may lose out to Jemimah, who is still young, as the next big thing. According to the 41-year-old, Jemimah impressed her during the T20 World Cup. She also mentioned how she appreciates the cricketer’s positive spirit and ability to communicate with all of the other players.
A young captain is what I would choose if the selectors decide to make a change. If you continue to put things off, we will have another [ODI] World Cup coming up in October 2025. Now is the time [to change]. Although Smriti is there, I believe a young woman like Jemimah—she is 24—will be able to assist you more. And on the pitch, I sense that [she] exudes that enthusiasm. She talks to everyone. “She really impressed me in this tournament,” cited Mithali as saying.
There hasn’t been much progress in the past two to three years: Mithali Raj
In addition, Mithali blasted the present club management, saying that they haven’t advanced in recent years. She added that whereas all other cricketing nations have expanded, India has not been able to do so and feels that the sport has reached a saturation point. She used the example of South Africa.
This team hasn’t really grown in the last two or three years, in my opinion. In the sense that you always train to defeat the top team, but it appears that we are becoming accustomed to defeating other teams, and we are quite content with that. Despite having little depth, every other team—South Africa being one example—has shown improvement. We didn’t,” Mithali stated.
We must have a standard by which to measure fitness: Mithali Raj
India’s performance on the pitch at the T20 World Cup was quite poor. During the match against Australia, the fitness levels of Shafali Verma and Richa Ghosh were especially questioned. In terms of fitness, Mithali emphasised that India must set a standard and that players should concentrate on it all year long rather than just during practices.
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We must establish a standard for fitness. Can you really work that much in a month? You engage in it throughout the year. It’s not like you have a camp just before the tournament, and it’s just going to show the difference on the pitch’, Mithali continued.
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