Harmanpreet Kaur’s captaincy decade: Top 10 historic achievements

Harmanpreet Kaur’s inspiring 10-year journey as captain of Indian women’s cricket team with World Cup triumph, historic milestones.

Harmanpreet Kaur Reaches 10-Year Captaincy Milestone: A Decade of Glory in Indian Women’s Cricket

Harmanpreet Kaur has lived up to expectations through her illustrious career, living up to her name which means “one who brings joy to everyone”. She has garnered the love of millions in the last decade and has proven that she is not merely a player but a phenomenal leader for the Indian women’s cricket team.

Harmanpreet Kaur has recently completed a record-breaking ten years as captain of Team India. Her leadership journey started in 2016 when she took over the women’s T20 team. In 2022, the management recognized her exceptional tactical acumen and handed her the reins of the ODI and Test teams. She has authored many success stories in this historic decade that will be remembered for generations. Here’s a glance at her 10 biggest achievements as the skipper of the national side.

Glory in Its Best Form: Winning the ODI World Cup

Harmanpreet’s captaincy came to an end in 2025, ending India’s long wait for an ODI World Cup. She achieved the ultimate dream that eluded former legends Anjum Chopra and Mithali Raj. With this historic win, she becomes the first Indian female captain to win the ODI World Cup, joining Kapil Dev and MS Dhoni as the only Indian captains to achieve this feat.

Historic breakthrough in ICC Trophy

Harmanpreet has written her name in the history books as the first captain of the Indian women’s cricket team to win an ICC Trophy by winning the World Cup breaking a long-standing jinx in global tournaments.

Asian Cup Dominance Unprecedented

With her formidable leadership, the Indian women’s team has asserted complete dominance in the Asian subcontinent. She has led India to 4 Asia Cup titles with glorious tournament wins in 2012, 2016, 2022 and 2026.

Defending Gold at Asian Games

Harmanpreet Kaur has created history by becoming the first captain to defend a Gold Medal in the Asian Games. She led Women in Blue to the top of the podium at the 2023 Asian Games and replicated that golden feat brilliantly in the 2026 edition.

The Great Lord’s Test Victory

In July 2026, Indian team achieved a massive milestone as they registered their first Test match win at the iconic Lord’s Cricket Ground. Harmanpreet’s brilliant captaincy saw India outplay England to win by a massive 270 runs.

Most Successful Indian Captain In All Formats

Harmanpreet has been used to winning. She is the most decorated Indian women’s cricket captain with the most international wins and has ended her stellar leadership run with a whopping 126 international wins to her name.

Becoming Fluent in the Long Format

Test cricket is a real test of character and Harmanpreet has done well here as well. She is also the only Indian female captain to win four Tests. She captained India in five Tests, winning four and losing one.

Most T20I matches as captain

For longer than anyone in the world she’s played the shortest format of the game. Harmanpreet Kaur has become the first captain in the history of world cricket, men’s and women’s, to lead a national side in 150 or more T20 matches. She has a fantastic record of captaining in 155 T20 matches.

The Benchmark of T20I Victory

She holds the record for most T20 International wins as a captain along with her longevity. She retired from captaincy with a stunning 92 T20I wins, a record that will be very hard to surpass.

Silver Medal Commonwealth Games

Apart from her multi-sport event achievements, Harmanpreet has also led the Indian side to the finals of the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham. The team showed phenomenal grit throughout the tournament and ended up taking home a historic Silver medal. Her style has always been to lead from the front and that was exemplified back in 2018 when she became the first Indian woman to score a T20I century while also dealing with the pressures of captaincy.