Mithali Raj backs Shafali Verma and Jemimah Rodrigues for India T20I captaincy transition over Smriti Mandhana

Former India captain Mithali Raj has endorsed youngsters Shafali Verma and Jemimah Rodrigues as future T20I leaders, clarifying that current vice-captain Smriti Mandhana is better suited to lead the national team in longer formats

New Delhi: Former India captain Mithali Raj on Friday has backed youngsters Shafali Verma and Jemimah Rodrigues as future leaders of the national side in the shortest format, stating that both cricketers are ‘truly prepared’ to take over the mantle from Harmanpreet Kaur.

Mithali’s comments come after India suffered group-stage exits in two consecutive editions of the T20 World Cup under Harmanpreet’s leadership. Harmanpreet, 37, led India to an unforgettable ODI World Cup title win on home soil last year. But under her leadership in T20Is since 2018, India are yet to win a T20 World Cup.

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As of now, Harmanpreet is set to lead India in the Asian Games in Japan in September-October and is expected to captain them in the Women’s Asia Cup in August-September. Responding to a fan on social media platform ‘X’ who questioned her advocacy for Shafali over current India vice-captain Smriti Mandhana, Mithali clarified that her vision was aimed at the long-term future of the team.

“That’s a fair question. This isn’t about Smriti’s ability to lead, and I have no doubt about that, which is why I’ve mentioned that’s she’s well suited to captain India in the longer formats,” Mithali wrote on ‘X’.

Detailing her rationale behind endorsing Shafali, who has been a mainstay in the national side for seven years and captained India to its first U19 World Cup trophy in 2023, Mithali explained, “My thought on Shafali is more about looking ahead. She’s still young, has one of the best strike rates, can bowl and has been in the T20 setup since 2019; leadership is developed not on the shelf but on the field.

Speaking about Jemimah, who led Delhi Capitals to being runners-up in WPL 2026, Mithali added, “Likewise, Jemimah, she is a part of every International T20 league. And it’s true she didn’t have a good World Cup but that can happen to any player.

“She is a team player, selfless and an excellent player of spin; she also saves 20-25 runs every game with her fielding which often goes unnoticed. So according to me both are truly prepared.”