Harmanpreet Kaur steps down as India women's cricket captain

India batter Harmanpreet Kaur has left her role as national team captain across all three formats of international cricket.

Harmanpreet led India in five Tests, 51 one-day internationals and 155 T20 internationals and took her country to their first global title, winning the 50-over World Cup last year.

The 37-year old last captained her country on 22 September, when she helped secure a second successive Asian Games title against Sri Lanka.

In a post on Instagram, external, Harmanpreet said she was leaving the India side in a "good place" and that she's now "ready to play for the love of the game again".

"This is not an easy decision," Harmanpreet wrote. "It carries years of memories, emotions, sacrifices, and moments that will stay with me for the rest of my life.

"I have given everything I had to this team and to Indian women's cricket - my blood, my sweat, my time, and many times, a part of my own game and personal ambitions.

"There were moments when I had to put my individual performance, my own growth, and what I wanted for myself aside, because I believed the team had to come first.

"As a captain, I have had to make difficult decisions. Decisions that were not always understood, not always easy, and sometimes came at a personal cost. But every decision I made was with one intention - to make this TEAM better and to give other players the opportunity to grow, believe in themselves and become the best versions of themselves."

Harmanpreet, who first captained India in 2012, led her side to victory in the one-off Test against England at Lord's in July.

However India exited the T20 World Cup in the group stage earlier in the month, failing to reach the semi-finals for the second successive edition of the tournament.

Her announcement comes a day after Harmanpreet met with vice-captain Smriti Mandhana, head coach Amol Muzumdar and Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) secretary Devajit Saikia in Guwahati.

Mandhana, 30, is expected to takeover the captaincy, with India set to welcome Zimbabwe for three T20s and three ODIs from 16 October.