Harmanpreet Kaur loved to lead, and did so from the front

Harmanpreet had led the Women in Blue to their biggest moment ever – the ODI World Cup, that too at home. | Photo Credit: EMMANUAL YOGINI

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In less than two hours after she announced on social media that she was stepping down as India’s captain, the traffic on Harmanpreet Kaur’s Instagram page reflected not just the distance she has travelled as a cricketer, but the journey women’s cricket has undertaken from the humblest of starts imaginable.

So, it is over: the reign of the most successful captain in Indian women’s cricket.

It hasn’t come as a shock. There has been, for quite a while now, a lot of noise around Harmanpreet’s captaincy. Her former teammates, former selectors, have all been talking about the need for a change in leadership. Of late, that noise became louder.

Harmanpreet has got the timing right. Just as she does with those power-packed shots of hers that have terrorised the bowlers the world over.

She has quit as captain right after leading India to some significant triumphs. Her last three assignments: the Asian Games, the Asia Cup and the first-ever Women’s Test at Lord’s. India won all those three in resounding fashion.

Yes, before that, there was a major disappointment at the T20 World Cup in England, where India failed to make it to the knockout stage. But, last year, Harmanpreet had led the Women in Blue to their biggest moment ever – the ODI World Cup, that too at home.

That was India’s first ever triumph in a global ICC tournament. She led her women from the front during that unforgettable campaign, which had gone so wrong at one stage that they were in a must-win situation in game after game.

Harmanpreet loved to lead. She is one of those players who aren’t weighed down by the burden of captaincy, which, in cricket, isn’t just an armband, as is the case with other sports.

She took new kids, like Kranti Gaud and Shree Charani, under her wings. She gave someone like Shafali Verma the confidence to bowl.

And now she has given the new captain – Smriti Mandhana, in all likelihood – enough time to settle into the job before India’s next big event.