The Indian Women’s Cricket Team is a national cricket team that represents India in international women’s cricket matches. The team is governed by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI).
The Indian Women’s Cricket Team has been playing international cricket since 1976 and has participated in several world tournaments, but the proportion of women participating during the time was insignificant in comparison to recent times.
Over the years, the Indian Women’s Cricket Team has produced several talented players and leaders on the field like Anjum Chopra, Jhulan Goswami, Harmanpreet Kaur, and Mithali Raj. The team has had some notable achievements, including reaching the finals of the 2005 World Cup and the semi-finals of the 2017 World Cup.
In this blog, we’ll get an overview of the Indian Women’s Cricket team, the most notable captains and their overall performance.
Harmanpreet Kaur- Current Indian Women’s Cricket Team Captain
Harmanpreet Kaur is an Indian cricketer and the current captain of the Indian Women’s Cricket Team in all formats. She was born on March 8, 1989, in Punjab, India. Kaur made her debut for the Indian Women’s Cricket Team in 2009 and has since become a vital member of the team.
Kaur is a top-order batter who is known for her aggressive style of play and powerful hitting. She is the first Indian woman cricketer to score a century in a T20I match, achieving the feat in the 2018 Women’s World T20 against New Zealand.
Harmanpreet Kaur made her debut as the captain of the Indian women’s cricket team for the final of the 2012 Women’s Twenty20 Asia Cup against Pakistan. This decision was made due to injuries suffered by the then captain, Mithali Raj, and vice-captain Jhulan Goswami. Under her leadership, India successfully defended a total of 81 runs to win the Asia Cup.
In 2013, she was appointed the new ODI captain of India women’s for Bangladesh’s tour of India. In 2016, she became the first Indian woman cricketer to be signed by an overseas T20 franchise, the Sydney Thunder, in the Women’s Big Bash League. In 2017, Kaur was included in the women’s squad of Women’s T20 International.
In 2018, she was appointed as the captain of the Indian squad for ICC Women’s World Twenty20 in the West Indies where she scored the highest number of runs for the team. Next in 2020, she led the Indian team to the finals of the Women’s T20 World Cup but lost to Australia.
In July 2022, she was once again named the captain for an overseas tournament held at the 2022 Commonwealth Games in England.
List of Test Captains: Indian Women’s Cricket Team
The longest format of cricket is Test cricket, which involves four innings played over four days with eleven players on each side in the women’s version of the game. The first women’s Test match between England and Australia was played in 1934, but India did not participate until the Women’s Cricket Association of India was established in 1973.
India’s debut in Test cricket came in 1976 when they scored their first test win against the West Indies, and since then, they have played 38 Tests out of which they won 5 matches, lost six times and drawn 27 times. Post 1976, they did not secure their second win for a long time until they defeated South Africa in 2002.
Over the years, several women have led the Indian cricket team in Test matches. Shantha Rangaswamy, the first woman to captain the Indian Women’s Cricket Team, led the team in 12 Test matches in which India secured one win, 2 losses and 9 draws.
The second big test win came to India under the captainship of Anjum Chopra in 2002. It was her first series as a skipper where she led the team with 7 debutants to achieve a record victory over South Africa. Her impeccable captaincy helped India score 20 South African wickets at Paarl.
Next on the list is India’s most successful test captain, Mithali Raj has played 8 matches as a captain since 2005. She led the team to victory in 2006 and 2014 in 3 matches out of the total 5 test wins India has scored so far.
Among other achievements, Mithali Raj and Sandhya Agarwal (1990 test skipper) hold the records for the highest individual scores in an innings for the Indian Women’s Cricket Team, with 190 and 214 runs, respectively. Former skippers, Diana Edulji and Shubhangi Kulkarni have the 3rd and 6th-highest career wicket-taking records, respectively. Neetu David holds the record for the best bowling figures in an innings for an Indian cricketer, with 8 wickets for 53 runs in England’s second innings of the 100th women’s Test.
India has had 11 women represent the country in Test cricket since its inception, and the list includes all players who have captained at least one Test match.
Currently, Harmanpreet Kaur leads the Indian women’s cricket team as the captain.
| S.No | Indian Women’s Cricket Captain- Test | Years of Captaincy | Won | Lost | Win % |
| 1. | Shantha Rangaswamy | 1976-1984 | 1 | 2 | 8.33 |
| 2. | Nilima Jogalekar | 1985 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 3. | Diana Edulji | 1985-1986 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 4. | Shubhangi Kulkarni | 1986-1991 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 5. | Sandhya Agarwal | 1991 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 6. | Purniam Rau | 1995 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 7. | Pramila Bhatt | 1995 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 8. | Chanderkanta Paul | 1999 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 9. | Anjum Chopra | 2002 | 1 | 0 | 33.33 |
| 10. | Mamatha Maben | 2003 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 11. | Mithali Raj | 2005-2021 | 3 | 1 | 37 |
| India Women’s Test Matches | |
| Matches Played | 38 |
| Matches Won | 5 |
| Matches Lost | 6 |
| Matches Drawn | 27 |
ODI Captain List: India Women’s Team
The Indian Women’s Cricket Team has had several captains in the One Day International (ODI) format of the game. Diana Edulji was the first woman to lead the team in ODIs, and she was followed by other notable players, including Mithali Raj, Jhulan Goswami, and Harmanpreet Kaur.
Mithali Raj became the team captain in 2005. She is the only female player who led India in ICC ODI World Cup Finals twice, first in her debut year and later in 2017. One of the greatest Indian women cricketers of all time, she has captained the team in the most number of ODI matches, with a total of 155 matches out of which India won 89 matches and lost 63 of them.
As of March 2023, Harmanpreet Kaur is the current captain of the Indian women’s cricket team in ODIs, having taken over the role from her predecessor, Mithali Raj in 2021. Under Kaur’s leadership, the team has seen some significant victories in international cricket. As a captain, she has the most impressive win rate of 90.9% with 10 wins out of 11 matches so far.
| S.No | Indian Women’s Cricket Captain- ODI | Years of Captaincy | Won | Lost | Win % |
| 1. | Diana Edulji | 1978-1993 | 7 | 11 | 38.88 |
| 2. | Shantha Rangaswamy | 1982-1984 | 4 | 12 | 25 |
| 3. | Shubhangi Kulkarni | 1986 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 4. | Purniam Rau | 1995 | 5 | 3 | 63 |
| 5. | Pramila Bhatt | 1995-1997 | 5 | 1 | 79 |
| 6. | Chanderkanta Paul | 1999 | 3 | 1 | 75 |
| 7. | Anju Jain | 2000 | 5 | 3 | 63 |
| 8. | Anjum Chopra | 2002-2012 | 10 | 17 | 37 |
| 9. | Mamatha Maben | 2003-2004 | 14 | 5 | 73.68 |
| 10. | Mithali Raj | 2004-2022 | 89 | 63 | 59 |
| 11. | Jhulan Goswami | 2008-2011 | 12 | 13 | 48 |
| 12. | Rumeli Dhar | 2008 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 13. | Harmanpreet Kaur | 2013-present | 10 | 1 | 90.9 |
| India Wome’s ODI Matches | |
| Total Matches Played | 301 |
| Matches Won | 164 |
| Matches Lost | 132 |
| Matches Tied | 1 |
| No Result | 4 |
Indian Women’s Cricket Team T20 Captain List
As of March 2023, the Indian Women’s Cricket Team has had four captains in the Twenty20 International (T20I) format of the game. In 2006, Mithali Raj was the first woman captain of India in T20Is who secured 17 wins out of 32 matches played.
In 2008, Jhulan Goswami replaced Mithali to captain the Women’s team for the next eight years. She led the team in 18 T20I matches. However, she fell short of her predecessor’s records and secured only 8 wins.
Anjum Chopra took the title in 2012 during which she led the team in T20Is in 10 matches. However, she fell short of critics and fans’ expectations and managed to secure India only 3 wins and lost 7 of them.
Harmanpreet took over the leadership role in the T20 format later that year and reclaimed India’s position in international cricket by bagging 54 wins out of 96 matches. In 2016, she helped India to win the T20 Series against Australia and scored 46 runs off 31 balls in India’s highest chase ever in T20Is.
Under her leadership, the team qualified for the semi-finals of the 2018 ICC Women’s World Twenty20. In February 2023, the Indian skipper marked history by becoming the first player to play 150 T20Is leaving behind Men’s skipper Rohit Sharma to the feat.
In February 2019, 22 year old Smriti Mandhana took over Kaur’s leadership role for a three match series against England as Kaur met with an ankle injury. Mandhana became the youngest T20I squad’s captain to have led the women’s team in their first T20I against England.
| S.No | Indian Women’s Cricket Captain- T20 | Years of Captaincy | Won | Lost | Win % |
| 1. | Mithali Raj | 2006-2016 | 17 | 15 | 53.12 |
| 2. | Jhulan Goswami | 2008-2015 | 8 | 10 | 44.44 |
| 3. | Anjum Chopra | 2012 | 3 | 7 | 30 |
| 4. | Harmanpreet Kaur | 2012-2023 | 54 | 37 | 56.25 |
| Women’s Twenty20 International | |
| Matches Played | 167 |
| Matches Won | 88 |
| Matches Lost | 74 |
| Matches Tied | 1 |
| No Result | 4 |
Despite the achievements, the Indian Women’s Cricket Team has faced several challenges, including a lack of funding, inadequate exposure, and limited opportunities. However, these women have left their mark on Indian women’s cricket by leading the team with distinct achievements and contributing to the growth and success of the sport in the country. The Indian Women’s Cricket Team has made significant progress over the years and has become a force to be reckoned with in international women’s cricket.
FAQs
Who is the Captain of Indian Women’s Cricket team 2023?
- Harmanpreet Kaur is the captain of current Indians Women’s Cricket team in all three formats of the game. She made her debut as captain in 2012 against Pakistan wherein India defended 81 runs thus winning the Asia Cup.
Who is the Captain of the First Indian Women’s Cricket team?
- Shantha Rangaswamy was the first captain of the Indian Women’s team in 1976. She has captained the team in 16 ODIs and won 4 of them and led 12 test matches but won just once.
Who is the most successful Captain of the Indian Women’s Cricket team?
- Mithali Raj is the most successful captain of the Indian Women’s Cricket Team, with 89 wins. Under her leadership, the team has achieved victories in three out of six Test matches, 89 out of 155 ODI matches, and 17 out of 32 T20I matches.
Who decides the Captain of the Indian Women’s Cricket Team and on what basis?
- The captain of the Indian Women’s Cricket Team is selected by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI). The BCCI is the governing body for cricket in India and is responsible for making all major decisions related to the national team. The BCCI selection committee comprises a group of former ace cricketers who select the captain based on various factors, including the player’s performance, leadership skills, and ability to inspire and lead the team effectively.
Who is the vice-captain of the Indian Women’s Cricket Team 2023?
Despite speculation about Smriti Mandhana taking over as ODI captain, Harmanpreet was chosen for the role. Meanwhile, Mandhana will serve as the vice-captain for both the ODI and T20I teams. Mandhana has been in excellent form with the bat and has been a key player for the Indian team in recent years.
