Diana Edulji calls for Smriti Mandhana to lead India across all formats

Former India captain Diana Edulji has publicly advocated for a leadership transition within the national women's cricket team, suggesting that star batter Smriti Mandhana should be appointed as captain across all three formats. Edulji’s comments follow a landmark performance by the 30-year-old in the Women's Asia Cup in Dubai, where she cemented her status as one of the game's most prolific run-scorers.

Mandhana’s recent century against Hong Kong saw her surpass Mithali Raj’s record of 10,868 runs to become the leading run-getter in women's international cricket. In addition to this milestone, she set a new benchmark for the most international centuries in the women's game, reaching 18 hundreds—two in T20Is, two in Tests, and 14 in ODIs—to move ahead of Meg Lanning and Laura Wolvaardt. Her tally of 93 fifty-plus scores across all formats now ties her with Raj for the most by any batter.

The leadership question remains a point of discussion within Indian cricket circles. While head coach Amol Muzumdar previously expressed his support for Harmanpreet’s continuation as captain, Mandhana herself has indicated her readiness for the role. In an interview on July 14, when asked if she felt prepared to lead the national side, the opener responded affirmatively. Meanwhile, Mithali Raj has publicly celebrated Mandhana’s recent success, taking to social media to congratulate her successor on breaking the long-standing run-scoring record and praising her evolution into one of India’s finest batters.