'Harmanpreet fumble at times...Smriti should be made captain...': Ex-India skipper's shocking take after Women's in Blue's maiden ODI World Cup win

Former India captain Shantha Rangaswamy wants Harmanpreet Kaur to step down after captaincy, a day after she guided the Women in Blue to their maiden World Cup win, defeating South Africa in the title decider by 52 runs at DY Patil Stadium in Navi Mumbai.

Shantha Rangaswamy on captaincy shift

Rangaswamy, who was the first Indian women's team captain, believes that leaving captaincy would be beneficial for 36-year-old Harmanpreet, who remains invaluable to the team as a batter and a great fielder. She further explained that the change in captaincy to be made considering the long-term future of the team in mind.

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Shantha Rangaswamy on Harmanpreet Kaur's sucessor

The next edition of the ODI World Cup will take place in 2029, and the T20 World Cup will take place in England next year. Star opener Smriti Mandhana, who is 29, is the obvious choice for a new captain, said Rangaswamy.

"It's overdue. Because Harman, as a batter and a fielder, is brilliant. Yes. But tactically, she can fumble at times. I feel she can contribute more if she's without the burden of captaincy.

"See, when it comes after a success like this (World Cup win), it will not be taken well but in the interest of Indian cricket and in Harman's own interest, I think she can contribute much more as a batter without the burden of captaincy.

"She still has three-four years of big-time cricket left. Not being captain would allow her to do that. Smriti should be made captain across formats. You need to plan for future World Cups also," said Rangaswamy.

She also referred to Rohit Sharma's case as the selectors moved on from him for the team's sake after he captained India to the Champions Trophy title earlier this year. Notably, India announced Shubman Gill as his sucessor to lead India in 50-over format.

Rangaswamy on India's weak points

Rangaswamy reckons that India are a strong batting unit but needs to work on their bowling and fielding

"In our days batting used to be the weaker link. Now batting has a settled look but bowling is a concern. Fielding too can be a lot better.

"Australia lost only because they did not have a good bowling attack. I would say Pakistan and Bangladesh had better bowling attacks. The batters did the job for us," said Rangaswamy referring to seven-time champions Australia losing to India in the semifinals with the latter not being able to defend 338.