Dubai, Sep 5 (IANS) India head coach Amol Muzumdar lauded captain Harmanpreet Kaur on Saturday after she became the first cricketer, in both men’s and women’s international cricket, to lead her country in 150 T20 international games.
Harmanpreet reached the historic milestone during India’s ongoing 2026 Women’s Asia Cup Group A match against Pakistan at the Dubai International Stadium, further cementing her legacy in the shortest format of the game.
“One thing I have been told is that it is the 150th T20 international for Harman as a captain, the most by anybody. It’s the most by anybody, whether it is men’s cricket or women’s cricket. Well done, Harman. Congrats,” Muzumdar said in a video shared on the BCCI’s social media channels.
The achievement puts Harmanpreet, 37, well ahead of her international peers. Sri Lanka skipper Chamari Athapaththu is second on the all-time list with 121 matches as captain, followed by Rwanda’s Marie Bimenyimana with 101 games.
By contrast, Namibia’s Gerhard Erasmus leads the men’s T20I captaincy list with 91 matches, followed by Rwanda’s Cletus Rubagumya on 90 and Pakistan’s Babar Azam on 85. Former India skipper MS Dhoni holds the Indian men’s record with 72 T20Is as captain.
Across her captaincy tenure, Harmanpreet has guided India to 86 victories in T20Is against 57 losses, a win percentage rate exceeding 60 percent. She has captained the India team to three Asia Cup titles in 2012, 2016, and 2022, as well as to silver medal and gold medal wins in the Commonwealth Games and Asian Games respectively.
Right-handed batter Harmanpreet also captained India to a runners-up finish in the 2020 Women’s T20 World Cup in Australia, while leading the side to the 2025 Women’s ODI World Cup triumph on home soil.
“Great achievement. But the key is to keep enjoying yourself on the field, and that is key. I try to keep up with that,” Harmanpreet had said when asked about leading India for the 150th time in T20Is at toss time.
–IANS
nr/bsk/