Shafali over Mandhana: Mithali Raj explains why she favours younger star for T20 captaincy

The conversation comes against the backdrop of yet another premature T20 World Cup exit for India.

Former India captain Mithali Raj has had to defend her recent comments on who should lead the Indian women’s team after Harmanpreet Kaur’s tenure ends. Mithali had suggested that Smriti Mandhana is more suited to captain India in the longer formats, while the younger Shafali Verma could be handed the reins of the T20 side.

Her verdict drew a response from a cricket follower on social media, who questioned why Smriti couldn’t lead India in both ODIs and T20Is. The follower argued on X: “Shafali has a long way to go. More than picking wickets or putting runs on the board, she still needs to prove herself in a leadership role. She doesn’t even captain or officially vice-captain a WPL team either.”

Mithali responded by clarifying that her assessment was not a reflection on Smriti’s leadership ability but was based on looking at the future. “This isn’t about Smriti’s ability to lead, and I have no doubt about that, which is why I’ve mentioned that she’s well suited to captain India in the longer formats. 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,” she wrote.

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.

My thought on Shafali is more about looking ahead. She’s still young, has one of the… https://t.co/a5P6OHNFYr

— Mithali Raj (@M_Raj03) July 17, 2026

Mithali also argued that Jemimah Rodrigues could be another strong candidate to lead India in the shortest format. “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,” she said.

The conversation comes against the backdrop of yet another premature T20 World Cup exit for India. Harmanpreet Kaur led India to a pathbreaking ODI World Cup title last year, but under her captaincy, the team has been unable to crack the code in T20 ICC events, dating back to 2018. The selectors may finally move on from her following the Asian Games in Japan in September-October.

Speaking about potential successors, Mithali had earlier told PTI: “I at least thought Smriti would lead the ODI format two, three years back. But now also, with the experience that she has, the vast experience, at least the ODI and Test format should be given to her, and perhaps the T20 to someone younger, I feel, in the T20 format. But one day, clearly, you need experience.”

“For T20Is, I think Shafali. Her format is T20Is. And she has led the Under-19 World Cup. Why not Shafali? Jemi too, of course, yes. She has led in the WPL. But I do believe that whoever they pick, they need to give them some time to settle. Because all of us got time to settle in our role as a leader,” she added.

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Former India captain Mithali Raj has had to defend her recent comments on who should lead the Indian women’s team after Harmanpreet Kaur’s tenure ends. Mithali had suggested that Smriti Mandhana is more suited to captain India in the longer formats, while the younger Shafali Verma could be handed the reins of the T20 side.

Her verdict drew a response from a cricket follower on social media, who questioned why Smriti couldn’t lead India in both ODIs and T20Is. The follower argued on X: “Shafali has a long way to go. More than picking wickets or putting runs on the board, she still needs to prove herself in a leadership role. She doesn’t even captain or officially vice-captain a WPL team either.”

Mithali responded by clarifying that her assessment was not a reflection on Smriti’s leadership ability but was based on looking at the future. “This isn’t about Smriti’s ability to lead, and I have no doubt about that, which is why I’ve mentioned that she’s well suited to captain India in the longer formats. 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,” she wrote.

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.

My thought on Shafali is more about looking ahead. She’s still young, has one of the… https://t.co/a5P6OHNFYr

— Mithali Raj (@M_Raj03) July 17, 2026

Mithali also argued that Jemimah Rodrigues could be another strong candidate to lead India in the shortest format. “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,” she said.

The conversation comes against the backdrop of yet another premature T20 World Cup exit for India. Harmanpreet Kaur led India to a pathbreaking ODI World Cup title last year, but under her captaincy, the team has been unable to crack the code in T20 ICC events, dating back to 2018. The selectors may finally move on from her following the Asian Games in Japan in September-October.

Speaking about potential successors, Mithali had earlier told PTI: “I at least thought Smriti would lead the ODI format two, three years back. But now also, with the experience that she has, the vast experience, at least the ODI and Test format should be given to her, and perhaps the T20 to someone younger, I feel, in the T20 format. But one day, clearly, you need experience.”

“For T20Is, I think Shafali. Her format is T20Is. And she has led the Under-19 World Cup. Why not Shafali? Jemi too, of course, yes. She has led in the WPL. But I do believe that whoever they pick, they need to give them some time to settle. Because all of us got time to settle in our role as a leader,” she added.