Former India pacer Niranjana Nagarajan has thrown her weight behind Harmanpreet Kaur continuing as India's T20I captain, even after the side's second consecutive group-stage exit at the 2026 Women's T20 World Cup. Speaking on 16 July, Nagarajan argued that Harmanpreet has not underperformed as a leader and identified a structural gap — the absence of middle-order power hitters — as the real reason for India's T20 struggles.

The Case for Harmanpreet

The debate over India's T20I leadership had grown sharper following the team's failure to reach the semi-finals for the second straight edition, an exit that came just a fortnight before India's historic Test victory over England at Lord's. With Harmanpreet set to turn 39 by the time the 2028 Women's T20 World Cup arrives, calls for a leadership transition have grown louder.

Nagarajan, however, pushed back firmly. 'I think Harman is doing a good job. I don't think one World Cup loss should bother so much. This is the problem — one loss and everything comes up. The same Harman, who won the ODI World Cup, why not just back her for one off tournament? Give her that space. At the end of the day, they are all going through the same thing. We are all humans and make mistakes,' she said.

'She has stood up as a captain for India over the last 7-8 years. She has never underperformed as a captain. Even against Australia, she was the one who stood up. The captaincy is not affecting her. Even the coach is quite happy with her captaincy,' Nagarajan added.

The Real Problem: Middle-Order Power Hitting

Nagarajan rejected suggestions that India carry a mental block in T20 cricket or have fallen behind the pace of the modern game. Instead, she pointed to a clear structural deficiency in the batting unit.

'See, in my perspective, I think we need a couple of more big hitters in the middle order. When she comes out to bat, probably it is always 60/2 in 7, 8 overs or 10 overs. She is not able to take the risks immediately because we are losing wickets at a stretch. So, there we need a player who probably can support and release the pressure off Harman,' she explained.

Nagarajan argued that having reliable hitters between overs 7 and 15 could push India's totals from 150 to 180 or even 180 to 195, giving Harmanpreet the platform to accelerate later in the innings rather than being forced into premature risk-taking.

Injury Disruptions and Bowling Concerns

India's campaign was further undermined by pre-tournament injuries to emerging all-rounders Amanjot Kaur and Kashvee Gautam, and the mid-tournament exit of Shreyanka Patil due to an ankle injury. The disruptions were visible in India's bowling combinations — the side used a different seam attack and new-ball pairing in each of their five matches.

The seamers collectively struggled, with Renuka Singh Thakur, Kranti Gaud, Arundhati Reddy, and Nandni Sharma sharing only five wickets between them. Nagarajan said Renuka's experience, particularly in swinging conditions, could have been used more effectively, and acknowledged that the absence of all-rounders cost the side the balance needed to field a settled eleven.

Road Ahead: Asia Cup, South Africa Tour and Domestic Season

With a packed calendar ahead — including the Women's Asia Cup, the Asian Games, a home series against Zimbabwe, and a multi-format tour of South Africa — Nagarajan urged the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) to prioritise the physical management of fast bowlers through domestic structures and elite camps.

'The fast bowlers first should be preserved and taken care of because a lot of tournaments which are coming up will be requiring the services of fast bowlers,' she said, praising the BCCI's Centre of Excellence (CoE) camps and India A tours as part of an ongoing and effective talent identification process.

She noted that the core team would largely remain intact, with places up for grabs to be decided on domestic performances when the season resumes in October. How India's selectors respond — on the captaincy question and the middle-order gap — will set the tone for the next World Cup cycle.