India captain Harmanpreet Kaur surpassed legendary Mithali Raj in a major record list during the ongoing Women’s ODI World Cup 2025. Harmanpreet Kaur is leading India in her first 50-over World Cup after the retirement of former skipper Raj.
India began their Women’s World Cup campaign with twin wins. They defeated Sri Lanka in their opener on September 30 and then got the better of Pakistan in their second clash. WhileHarmanpreet Kaur has not found her footing with the bat so far, she has been leading the team well and is a consistent source of inspiration on the field.
Harmanpreet Kaur has gone past Raj in the list of most catches taken by Indian women in ODIs. Coming into the World Cup, she was one behind Raj’s tally of 165 catches and has now gone past with the two catches she has taken in the tournament. Harmanpreet Kaur caught Sri Lanka’s Anushka Sanjeewani at mid-wicket during India’s defence of 269 against the Lankan side, while she grabbed Sidra Amin in the clash against Pakistan.
Harmanpreet Kaur is now second on the list for most catches taken by Indian women in ODIs and is only behind Jhulan Goswami, who has palmed 69 catches.
Most catches for India in Women ODIs:
1 – Jhulan Goswami: 69 catches in 204 matches
2 – Harmanpreet Kaur: 65 catches in 154 matches
3 – Mithali Raj: 64 catches in 232 matches
India defeated Sri Lanka in their opener by 59 runs (DLS method) and were not put in any major trouble other than their top-order not firing. They defeated Pakistan with a complete batting show but no one passed fifty in the clash. Speaking after the Pakistan match, Harmanpreet Kaur highlighted that the team needs to improve on certain things, but is happy until the team is winning.
Aakash Chopra feels that Harmanpreet Kaur will be under pressure during the ongoing World Cup, knowing that it could be the last time she will be featuring in the tournament. The 36-year-old Indian captain hasn’t made the best of starts to the ongoing World Cup as she has scored just 40 runs in two matches.
The pressure is there- Aakash Chopra on Harmanpreet Kaur leading in maiden ODI WC
Former India player Aakash Chopra has opined that Harmanpreet Kaur would be under pressure in the ongoing Women’s World Cup 2025. He pointed out that the middle-order batter is potentially playing her last ODI World Cup and is yet to fire with the bat. Harmanpreet Kaur scored 19 runs off 34 balls as India set Pakistan a 248-run target in their Women’s World Cup 2025 clash in Colombo on Sunday, October 5. The Women in Blue then bowled Fatima Sana and company out for 159 to register a comprehensive 88-run win.
During a discussion on Star Sports, Chopra was asked about the pressure on Harmanpreet Kaur , considering she has endured a slightly lean run this year and hasn’t fired in her two innings in the ongoing Women’s World Cup 2025 either.
“There will be pressure. Firstly, you are the captain. This is your fifth World Cup, the first as a captain, and it might be in her mind that this could probably be the last as well. It’s very unlikely that she will be in the next ODI World Cup. So the pressure is there,” he responded.
The former India opener added that a non-performing captain can hurt the team.
“If the others are also getting starts and not converting them into big scores, publicly, you say everything is okay, but in your heart, you know that you need to contribute. If a team’s leader doesn’t score runs, doesn’t perform from the front, the team becomes slightly weak. So the captain has to score. She will definitely be feeling slight pressure,” Chopra elaborated.
Harmanpreet Kaur scored 21 runs off 19 deliveries in the Women’s World Cup 2025 opener against Sri Lanka in Guwahati on September 30. The Indian captain has aggregated 386 runs at an underwhelming average of 35.09 in 12 ODI innings in 2025.
Chopra commented on India not having a sixth bowler and said it is down to the fact that the top-order hasn’t scored big runs so far.
“If we see the larger picture, if Smriti Mandhana and Harmanpreet Kaur score runs, then you can also think about the sixth bowler. As of now, you want a sixth bowler, but, although everyone has runs, no one has big runs,” he said.
“Then suddenly you start thinking whether you will fall short in batting in 50 overs. However, when you score runs and your main player is also scoring runs, you have the confidence to play one more bowler, as you won’t need Richa Ghosh to bat at No. 8. So that thought process could change the day Kaur and Mandhana’s bats start talking,” Chopra observed..
India will be next in action on October 9 against South Africa in the women’s World Cup.
Also Read: Women’s ODI World Cup 2025: A Plot Twist No One Saw Coming