Harmanpreet Kaur to continue as India captain post T20 World Cup debacle, to lead team in Asian Games

The 2026 Asian Games are scheduled to be held in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan, in September 2026. The Indian women's team will head into the competition as the defending champions, having won the gold medal in women's cricket at the previous Asian Games in Hangzhou, China.

Smriti Mandhana will serve as Harman's deputy, while Shreyanka Patil has also been named in the squad. However, her participation in the competition is subject to fitness clearance.

Also Read: India women's team seals qualification for 2028 Los Angeles Olympics, men's team needs to wait till December 2026

In the five matches she played in the Women's T20 World Cup, Harmanpreet scored 141 runs, and her best performance came in the final Group A match against Australia, where she played a quickfire knock of 56. However, this knock wasn't enough to help India win, and the Women in Blue crashed out of the tournament.

India started the Women's T20 World Cup with a bang, registering wins over Pakistan and the Netherlands. However, the team was given a reality check after India went down against South Africa. Heading into the game against Australia, the equation was simple: win to qualify, or else be knocked out. And as fate would have it, the 50-over champions crashed out.

Harmanpreet's future

After the loss to Australia, India head coach Amol Muzumdar was asked about Harmanpreet's future, and he said he would like to see her continue as skipper.

“It's up to the selectors to decide the captain. I think, yes, my short and sweet answer would be yes,” said Amol when asked whether he would like Harmanpreet to continue as the captain.

Before the Asian Games, India will also be playing a Test match against England at Lord's Cricket Ground. The match is scheduled to begin on July 10.

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