She came. She led. She conquered. Now, she has stepped down.

So, the best captain Indian women’s cricket has ever had will no longer walk out to toss with the rival captain in an international game. Harmanpreet Kaur would be cherishing those walks to the middle, in the glare of the television cameras. She is someone who has enjoyed captaincy. And it was a job she did rather well, for all those talks about the need for change in captaincy in recent times.

Granted, she could not take India to the semifinals of the Women’s T20 World Cup in England three months ago. But, last year she had led India to an ODI World Cup triumph.

ALSO READ: Harmanpreet Kaur | The game changer 

“Only Kapil Dev and M.S. Dhoni have done that,” former India captain Shubhangi Kulkarni reminds you over phone from Pune. “So she is in a very exclusive club. And she played a major role in the Indian victory as a batter, too. Everyone talks about Jemimah Rodrigues’ brilliant hundred in the semifinal against Australia, but Harmanpreet made 89.”

After losing the openers Smriti Mandhana and Shafali Verma inside 10 overs, it was the skipper’s 167-run stand for the third wicket with Jemimah that put India’s chase of a World-record breaking target. Harmanpreet knows how to make an impact in big games, and she certainly knows how to torment Australia, the best team in women’s cricket.

Even in her last appearance as a captain against the Aussies, in the league match at the T20 World Cup at Lord’s, she had cracked a 27-ball 56 that gave India at least a fighting chance in what was a must-win situation. But, a determined Australia, riding on a superb partnership with its champion all-rounders Ellyse Perry and Ashleigh Gardner, knocked India out of the competition, avenging the loss in the ODI World Cup.

That was indeed a big blow to Harmanpreet and her women. They were one of the favourites and were at least expected to make the semifinals, but the defeat to South Africa, earlier in the Group of Death, was always going to be costly.

Historic triumph

The Indians, however, won the historic Women’s Test at Lord’s, which was played right after the World Cup. And India totally outplayed England.

That was followed by the twin successes at the Asia Cup and the Asian Games. So Harmanpreet could end her captaincy on a high.

She admitted, through her widely read Instagram post, that the decision to step down was not easy. “The decision carries years of memories, emotions, sacrifices, and moments that will stay with me for the rest of my life,” she wrote.

“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.”

She said she had to make some difficult decisions. “Decisions that were not always understood, not always easy, and sometimes came at a personal cost,” she explained. “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.”

Shubangi, one of the pioneers of women’s cricket in India, says Harmanpreet indeed was able to transform the Indian team with her leadership. “She has led India through a period of enormous changes,” she said. “From a team which was competing well, and expecting to do well, to becoming a team that wins major championships — she did it through some real high points and through some very low points, too. We have waited for a long, long time, for 50 years to win a senior ICC championship. There was a heartbreak in 2005 and then a bigger one in 2017 (India lost the World Cup finals). So what Harmanpreet’s Indian team did last year is indeed remarkable, and it is something she could always be proud about.”

Transformed the side

Biju George, who has worked with Harmanpreet as the fielding coach of the Indian team also rates her captaincy highly. “She was an aggressive captain who hated losing,” says the Thiruvananthapuram-based man whose wards include Sanju Samson. “As a captain, she has reminded me of Sourav Ganguly. Like he transformed the Indian men’s team, Harman did something similar with the women’s team.”

Biju also has always been in awe of her batting. “Her 171 not out against Australia in the semifinal of the 2017 World Cup in England is the best innings I have ever seen, by a male or a female cricketer, and I was lucky that I could watch it along with the Indian team,” he said.

“Harman is one of the earliest batters who brought in power to women’s cricket. We have many players who can hit hard now, but not at the time when she was doing it.”

And Harman could change the complexion of a game with those big shots. And she has been doing it for so long. Biju feels she could be scoring more runs after relinquishing the captaincy. “She could bat with more freedom,” he says. “And I think she has quit captaincy at the right time. Smriti also deserves to be a captain for a few years. And I also think it is good that they did not split the captaincy between formats. It is always good to have just one captain. Multiple captains could create issues within the team.”

There isn’t, of course, a better option than Smriti to lead India in all formats. And she was quick to pay a tribute to Harmanpreet’s captaincy.

“It has been a pleasure playing with you for so many years,” Smriti wrote on social media. “Ten years of your leadership have been fantastic and together, we will strive to bring many more laurels for our nation.”

ALSO READ: Smriti Mandhana, India’s new captain, has earned her job

Smriti’s opening partner Shafali also spoke of how much Harmanpreet meant to her.

“Since the day I made my debut, you have always been there for me, on and off the field,” said the swashbuckling opener. “From guiding me through the early days to standing by me through everything, I have always known I could count on you.”

Those words from Shafali actually reveal something about Harmanpreet. She nurtured young talents — be it Shafali, Shree Charani or Kranti Gaud — and encouraged them always. One has seen her wax eloquent about those youngsters at press conferences several times. You could understand how much their successes meant to her.

She was excited to see the emergence of Kranti as a quality seamer that India desperately wanted. And she made Shafali bowl when not many were expecting her to. The emergence of Shafali as a spinner who could bowl at different stages of a match has given the Indian attack an excellent option. She has justified her captain’s faith in her with some fine spells.

Shubhangi feels Harmanpreet deserves credit for handling the transition period in Indian women’s cricket well. “She is the only player in the team from the time WCAI (Women’s Cricket Association of India), of which I was the secretary, was running the game,” she says. “We had to struggle for funds, and things were not easy at all for India’s female cricketers. Now there is money and opportunities for our players.”

Harmanpreet could always be proud about her role in taking women’s cricket forward. That is something nobody could take away from her. And that World Cup.

Captaincy matters in cricket. Harmanpreet has shown that, the way few women in international cricket have.

Indian women’s cricket team captain Harmanpreet Kaur in action during an Asian Games match.
| Photo Credit: R.V. Moorthy

Over the last 10 days, Indian women have put up a formidable cricketing display against their Asian counterparts. In Dubai, they first secured their eighth Asia Cup title, and then went on to defend their place as the gold medallists at the Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan.

However, women’s cricket in this country has had to prove its existence, in comparison to its men’s counterpart. They have had to ask for pay parity to match what the men earn, their matches have been denied prime cricketing venues, and broadcasters often give them second billing.

Yet, if one were to scrutinise the conversations surrounding the women’s team recently, they would be hard-pressed to find any difference in the way the men’s and women’s teams have been treated. The needle for Indian cricketing culture has barely moved between September 2025 and September 2026. This diminishes the different journeys that men and women have taken.

The Asia Cup final saw the team defeat defending champion Sri Lanka to secure a commanding win. Deepti Sharma concluded the competition by taking her 14th wicket — the most by any bowler in the tournament. Smriti Mandhana surpassed India’s Mithali Raj to become the leading run-scorer in international cricket, while also sprinting ahead of Australia’s Meg Lanning to gather the most number of centuries under her bat. These achievements didn’t garner as much media attention as the post-match non-presentation did.

The final wicket taken, a match won, but will the team take the trophy? The broadcasters knew well enough the monetary benefit of this anticipation, so the final overs delivered plenty of visuals of the VIP stand. The Asian Cricket Council (ACC) chairman Mohsin Naqvi, who is also Pakistan’s Interior Minister and the Pakistan Cricket Board’s chief, finally quenched the eager camera’s thirst. His appearance overshadowed even the joy of the final wicket, as the cameras fervently cut to Naqvi chatting with BCCI Secretary Devajit Saikia. How the story unfolded after that, is nothing to write home about.

A year of inheriting a socio-political cricketing legacy

Back in 2025, months after the deadly terrorist attack in Jammu and Kashmir’s Pahalgam, which was followed by a brief military skirmish between India and Pakistan, the Indian men played in the Asia Cup. As the team’s audience demanded a boycott of the fixture against Pakistan, the skipper Suryakumar Yadav’s answer came in the form of a refusal to shake hands. It was a paltry substitute against the calls to sacrifice the match.

Days later, the spectators cheered as the team lifted an imaginary trophy. The players had seemingly “humiliated” Naqvi by making him wait and refusing to accept the winner’s trophy from him. Since the final match had been against Pakistan, and the defeat had been extended to its highest cricketing official, Prime Minister Narendra Modi dubbed the victory “Operation Sindoor on the games field”.

A couple of months later, this spectre of men’s cricket loomed large over the Indian women set to take part in the ODI World Cup. Before the tournament even got under way, journalists rushed to the women’s camp, which was playing another series altogether, and enquired about a handshake issue they were yet to encounter. “We are not focusing on the Asia Cup at the moment… our focus is on this series,” came Deepti Sharma’s response.

Out on the field against Pakistan, the Indian women didn’t shake hands with the opposing team.

A year later, in June 2026 during the T20 World Cup, Harmanpreet Kaur and Co., this time on English soil, refused to shake hands with the Fatima Sana-led team. Naqvi found himself waiting yet again, in September 2026, in the same Dubai stadium, to not present the winner’s trophy to the Indian side. “What the men had started, the women have continued,” the audience rejoiced. Even as they were receiving their gold medals for the Asian Games being hosted in Japan, the audience found itself obsessed with a particular scenario where Mohsin Naqvi could end up being part of the ceremony. He was not.

Over the past year, Indian women have added hugely to their fanbase. The new audience, previously loyal to only one gender, has lent its cheers and support. In return, the implicit demand has been to shoulder the political legacy of Indo-Pak cricket — shaped over decades by two cricketing boards that have taken their sweet time to give women their due.

Contrasting histories

The matches between the men of India and Pakistan have been held against the heavy despair of a partitioned subcontinent; they have been held joyously in the old cities of Delhi and Lahore, and they have been suspended altogether when the countries have been at war. These matches have been the mould in which the identity of the Indian men’s team, the temperament of its audience, and the business model of its Board have taken shape. For the men, this fixture carries a storied history that the new players inherit when they join the team.

Indian women, on the other hand, have not played a single bilateral match against the Pakistani side. The first time they faced each other was in 2005, and they have only ever played each other in international tournaments. In the less than 30 matches these two teams have played, the Indian side has maintained comfortable dominance. By comparison, Indian and Australian women have faced off over a 100 times, including in Test matches.

For Indian men, their matches against Pakistan now double as a theatre of jingoism. Both sides make gestures and indulge in non-handshakes. All await their own viral moment as the “most patriotic sportsboy”. For them, this is expected, and a natural consequence of how men’s cricket has been so deeply enmeshed within the contours of its cross-border relations. Women’s cricket, all this while, was being played away from this hybrid frontline.

The lack of a cricketing history between Indian and Pakistani women is less a consequence of the political history, and more a feature of the patriarchal mindsets both these teams have had to wrestle against. Women’s cricket in India didn’t start until the 1970s. Pakistani women had to wait 20 additional years before they could pick up the bat. Both these teams had to wait decades more before they even came close to becoming household names.

BCCI’s play

The no-handshake development is a BCCI decision and is applicable to all the teams that play under it against Pakistan. The decision also exposes BCCI’s nifty way of wanting to have its cake and eat it too. The lack of bilaterals means that the international matchups between the “traditional rivals” become dearer, emotionally and monetarily. These matches can’t be foregone to achieve more impactful nationalistic objectives. The next best solution is to play them, without respecting the player in front of you.

However, the BCCI only has its own past to look at if it is looking for alternatives — in the early 2000s, India refused to participate in tri-nation series and Asian Test Championships in the years following the Kargil War, and as unrest spread across the Kashmir valley.

As this Indian women’s team continues to add new metal to its trophy cabinet, it also enters a new kind of public sphere in which its cricket is viewed alongside its politics. If earlier the BCCI and its political masters were too busy to notice this team, now they are too eager to make use of another match where the cameras can capture the Indian players not shaking hands.

Published – September 26, 2026 03:35 pm IST

Over the last 10 days, Indian women have put up a formidable cricketing display against their Asian counterparts. In Dubai, they first secured their eighth Asia Cup title, and then went on to defend their place as the gold medallists at the Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan.

However, women’s cricket in this country has had to prove its existence, in comparison to its men’s counterpart. They have had to ask for pay parity to match what the men earn, their matches have been denied prime cricketing venues, and broadcasters often give them second billing.

Yet, if one were to scrutinise the conversations surrounding the women’s team recently, they would be hard-pressed to find any difference in the way the men’s and women’s teams have been treated. The needle for Indian cricketing culture has barely moved between September 2025 and September 2026. This diminishes the different journeys that men and women have taken.

The Asia Cup final saw the team defeat defending champion Sri Lanka to secure a commanding win. Deepti Sharma concluded the competition by taking her 14th wicket — the most by any bowler in the tournament. Smriti Mandhana surpassed India’s Mithali Raj to become the leading run-scorer in international cricket, while also sprinting ahead of Australia’s Meg Lanning to gather the most number of centuries under her bat. These achievements didn’t garner as much media attention as the post-match non-presentation did.

The final wicket taken, a match won, but will the team take the trophy? The broadcasters knew well enough the monetary benefit of this anticipation, so the final overs delivered plenty of visuals of the VIP stand. The Asian Cricket Council (ACC) chairman Mohsin Naqvi, who is also Pakistan’s Interior Minister and the Pakistan Cricket Board’s chief, finally quenched the eager camera’s thirst. His appearance overshadowed even the joy of the final wicket, as the cameras fervently cut to Naqvi chatting with BCCI Secretary Devajit Saikia. How the story unfolded after that, is nothing to write home about.

A year of inheriting a socio-political cricketing legacy

Back in 2025, months after the deadly terrorist attack in Jammu and Kashmir’s Pahalgam, which was followed by a brief military skirmish between India and Pakistan, the Indian men played in the Asia Cup. As the team’s audience demanded a boycott of the fixture against Pakistan, the skipper Suryakumar Yadav’s answer came in the form of a refusal to shake hands. It was a paltry substitute against the calls to sacrifice the match.

Days later, the spectators cheered as the team lifted an imaginary trophy. The players had seemingly “humiliated” Naqvi by making him wait and refusing to accept the winner’s trophy from him. Since the final match had been against Pakistan, and the defeat had been extended to its highest cricketing official, Prime Minister Narendra Modi dubbed the victory “Operation Sindoor on the games field”.

A couple of months later, this spectre of men’s cricket loomed large over the Indian women set to take part in the ODI World Cup. Before the tournament even got under way, journalists rushed to the women’s camp, which was playing another series altogether, and enquired about a handshake issue they were yet to encounter. “We are not focusing on the Asia Cup at the moment… our focus is on this series,” came Deepti Sharma’s response.

Out on the field against Pakistan, the Indian women didn’t shake hands with the opposing team.

A year later, in June 2026 during the T20 World Cup, Harmanpreet Kaur and Co., this time on English soil, refused to shake hands with the Fatima Sana-led team. Naqvi found himself waiting yet again, in September 2026, in the same Dubai stadium, to not present the winner’s trophy to the Indian side. “What the men had started, the women have continued,” the audience rejoiced. Even as they were receiving their gold medals for the Asian Games being hosted in Japan, the audience found itself obsessed with a particular scenario where Mohsin Naqvi could end up being part of the ceremony. He was not.

Over the past year, Indian women have added hugely to their fanbase. The new audience, previously loyal to only one gender, has lent its cheers and support. In return, the implicit demand has been to shoulder the political legacy of Indo-Pak cricket — shaped over decades by two cricketing boards that have taken their sweet time to give women their due.

Contrasting histories

The matches between the men of India and Pakistan have been held against the heavy despair of a partitioned subcontinent; they have been held joyously in the old cities of Delhi and Lahore, and they have been suspended altogether when the countries have been at war. These matches have been the mould in which the identity of the Indian men’s team, the temperament of its audience, and the business model of its Board have taken shape. For the men, this fixture carries a storied history that the new players inherit when they join the team.

Indian women, on the other hand, have not played a single bilateral match against the Pakistani side. The first time they faced each other was in 2005, and they have only ever played each other in international tournaments. In the less than 30 matches these two teams have played, the Indian side has maintained comfortable dominance. By comparison, Indian and Australian women have faced off over a 100 times, including in Test matches.

For Indian men, their matches against Pakistan now double as a theatre of jingoism. Both sides make gestures and indulge in non-handshakes. All await their own viral moment as the “most patriotic sportsboy”. For them, this is expected, and a natural consequence of how men’s cricket has been so deeply enmeshed within the contours of its cross-border relations. Women’s cricket, all this while, was being played away from this hybrid frontline.

The lack of a cricketing history between Indian and Pakistani women is less a consequence of the political history, and more a feature of the patriarchal mindsets both these teams have had to wrestle against. Women’s cricket in India didn’t start until the 1970s. Pakistani women had to wait 20 additional years before they could pick up the bat. Both these teams had to wait decades more before they even came close to becoming household names.

BCCI’s play

The no-handshake development is a BCCI decision and is applicable to all the teams that play under it against Pakistan. The decision also exposes BCCI’s nifty way of wanting to have its cake and eat it too. The lack of bilaterals means that the international matchups between the “traditional rivals” become dearer, emotionally and monetarily. These matches can’t be foregone to achieve more impactful nationalistic objectives. The next best solution is to play them, without respecting the player in front of you.

However, the BCCI only has its own past to look at if it is looking for alternatives — in the early 2000s, India refused to participate in tri-nation series and Asian Test Championships in the years following the Kargil War, and as unrest spread across the Kashmir valley.

As this Indian women’s team continues to add new metal to its trophy cabinet, it also enters a new kind of public sphere in which its cricket is viewed alongside its politics. If earlier the BCCI and its political masters were too busy to notice this team, now they are too eager to make use of another match where the cameras can capture the Indian players not shaking hands.

Published – September 26, 2026 03:35 pm IST

Indian women cricketers are “hungry for more” after a string of impressive victories, with captain Harmanpreet Kaur saying a winning culture is taking shape as they head into the Asia Cup in the UAE and Asian Games in Japan.

Fresh from winning the first-ever women’s Test match at Lord’s by defeating England last month, India will now turn their attention to the UAE Asia Cup T20, where they are record seven-time champions, before embarking on their title defence at the Asian Games in Japan.

“We of course expect to win. Our team has been playing very good cricket,” the India skipper, who guided India to a historic Test win against England at the iconic Lord’s recently, told Sony Sports.

“The last 4-5 years have been good, and where we have played good cricket, dominating cricket, have defeated big teams and won series also.”

The Kaur-led side had sealed a huge 270-run win over England at Lord’s, marking India’s second-highest win by margin of runs in Women’s Tests, the fourth biggest overall.

“Now, we are coming after the win at Lord’s and have also won many games on the trot, so the team has already tasted success and will be hungry for more.” In the upcoming Asia Cup, beginning Friday (August 28, 2026), India share Group A with arch-rivals Pakistan in the eight-team tournament.

After losing the last edition to Sri Lanka, India will look to reclaim the trophy, riding high on their recent Lord’s triumph.

“The best thing is, everybody in the team talks about how to win a match, how to win tournaments. So when you have that kind of culture, you always feel motivated and you and you really look forward to go for any tournament.”

“So this (Asia Cup) tournament is very important and I am sure we will play as a team and once again will make our country proud,” said Kaur.

“I think the biggest challenge is when you have the ‘good team’ tag, playing for those expectations is in itself a very big challenge because we know we dominate Asian cricket and it’s very important to play every match with that domination,” she opined.

On the hype surrounding India-Pakistan clashes, Kaur said the pressure is on another level, something players can genuinely feel despite being accustomed to high-intensity competitive cricket.

“No doubt it’s a high-pressure game and as a player you need to deal with multiple things. We keep playing international cricket but the amount of pressure in a India vs Pakistan match, that kind of pressure you don’t feel anywhere else.”

“Somewhere we know every Indian is watching, not only cricket fans but every Indian is watching because that match is so important for all of us.”

“As a captain and as a player, I try to keep things very simple, very easy. Only focus on cricket, focus on our aims, focus on our routines.” Kaur said winning a gold medal for the country is a special honour for any cricketer, with the Asian Games offering a different feeling from ICC events as every player receives an individual medal.

India made their Asian Games debut in Hangzhou, winning gold, and will now chase another top finish.

“As a cricketer I think this is a very big opportunity because before this we have mostly played ICC tournaments but have not fought for a medal because as a team we have always fought for any particular trophy.”

“This is one such moment where you get your own medal and I think when it’s about the medals, the motivation increases even more. Day and night we keep thinking how will we feel after winning the medal and how we will celebrate.”

“It also gives the chance to witness other sports, meet other players, understand their routines so it’s not just only about cricket but knowing your other sports fellows also on how they prepare,” added the gold-winning Indian skipper at Hangzhou.

Kaur acknowledged the weight of expectations at the Asian Games but said the team would remain focused on the task at hand, with preparations progressing in the right direction.

“Yes definitely, the last time we had played very dominating cricket and one-sided contests so there will be expectations from us to play that kind of cricket again.”

“I’m sure the country is looking forward that one gold medal coming from cricket, so I know pressure is going to be there, but at the same time, focusing on your job and how to achieve that job is more important.”

Reflecting on India’s historic Lord’s win, Harmanpreet said: “Playing a Test match at Lord’s is a big dream for any cricketer. For me also, it was a very big dream and to lead the team is an even bigger dream.”

“I think, before this, I had played just 4-5 Tests, but the feeling of playing at Lord’s was totally different. I think, till now, thinking about those four days we had lived, we are still talking about it.”

Published – August 26, 2026 05:14 am IST

Marijne says there’s more connection between players and they are open to feedback.
| Photo Credit: Hockey India

The Indian trio of Deepika Kumari, Ankita Bhakat and Kumkum Mohod upstaged World Cup Stage-1 champion and host China, consisting of Zhu Jingyi, Huang Yuwei and Yu Qi, 5-4 in the final to claim the recurve women’s team gold medal at the Archery World Cup Stage-2 in Shanghai on Sunday (May 10, 2026).

Riding on their inspiring 5-1 upset win over 10-time Olympic champion Korea in the semifinals, the Indian women’s team clinched a gold after five years. Both Deepika and Ankita were part of the team (also including Komalika Bari) that had beaten Mexico to secure the top honour at Guatemala City in 2021.

India, comprising two Olympians and a 17-year-old rookie (Kumkum), won the first set before China caught up and the two teams were eventually tied 4-4. In the shoot-off, the Chinese scored 8, 9, 9 and the Indians responded with 9, X, 9 to record a 28-26 win and script a morale-boosting performance ahead of the Asian Games.

Deepika, who had picked up an individual bronze at the same venue last year, said she successfully overcame a distraction in the final. “I did not shoot well then (Shanghai 2025)…I am heading in a good direction,” Deepika told World Archery.

In the women’s recurve individual event, Simranjeet Kaur, who achieved her career-best performance by reaching the semifinals, lost to Korean Olympic medallist Kang Chaeyoung 0-6 in the last-four and another Korean Jang Minhee 4-6 in the bronze medal match.

There was however heartbreak for Simranjeet Kaur who lost to World No. 1 and eventual champion Kang Chaeyoung of South Korea in straight sets in the semifinal, before going down to another Korean, Jang Minhee, in the playoff for the bronze medal.

India thus ended their campaign with two medals — one gold and bronze that came through Sahil Jadhav in the men’s individual compound section on Saturday (May 9, 2026).

The victory was especially sweeter as India had earlier stunned record 10-time Olympic champions South Korea in the semifinals en route to their first World Cup women’s team gold since 2021.

Deepika, who was also part of India’s World Cup-winning teams in Guatemala City and Paris in 2021, now has seven World Cup team gold medals to her name since 2010.

It was also the Indian women recurve team’s first World Cup medal in three years, its previous podium finish coming in Stage 4 in Paris in 2023, where Ankita was a member of the winning team.

Travelling without a full-time national coach amid the impasse over appointments, it was the vastly experienced Deepika who led from the front, constantly motivating her teammates during breaks and changeovers.

Prafull Dange, who was the designated women’s recurve coach after his ward Kumkum topped the national trials, largely remained in the background as Deepika guided the side through the pressure moments against a hostile home crowd and vocal Chinese support staff.

Against a young Chinese side comprising Zhu Jingyi, Huang Yuwei and teenage archer Yu Qi, who all made their World Cup debuts only last year, India looked in control initially but nearly let the match slip after taking the opening set (54-53).

Shooting last in the Indian order, Deepika set the tone with successive 10s as India took the first set despite Ankita (8-8) and 17-year-old Kumkum (10-8) putting up an inconsistent show.

Deepika continued her fine rhythm in the second set with another perfect 10 as India briefly held a one-point advantage (28-27) midway through the end. But China responded strongly with two 9s and a 10 in their final three arrows of the second set to post 55.

Ankita replied with a 9, but Kumkum managed only an 8, leaving Deepika needing a 10 to level the set.

The four-time Olympian, however, slipped to a 7 as India lost the set 52-55 and China drew level at 2-2.

The hosts then moved ahead in the third set. The teams were initially tied at 56, but a review upgraded China’s final arrow from 8 to 9, handing them the set 57-56 and a 4-2 lead.

India appeared on the verge of defeat in the fourth set despite Deepika rediscovering her touch with two 10s. Kumkum’s final arrow landed in the 7-ring as India posted a modest 54.

China required two 10s and a 9 from their last three arrows to seal the match.

Zhu and Huang delivered perfect 10s, but Yu Qi fell short before the Indians peaked in the tiebreaker.

A third medal eluded India after Simranjeet was outclassed by the reigning world champion Kang 6-0 (26-25, 24-29, 26-28).

Up against another Korean, Jang Minhee, in the bronze medal match, Simranjeet squandered an opening set lead before going down 4-6 (29-27, 27-29, 28-28, 28-29, 28-28).

(With inputs from PTI)

Published – May 10, 2026 08:51 am IST

India women hockey team coach Sjoerd Marijne.
| Photo Credit: FILE PHOTO: BISWARANJAN ROUT

The U.S. government’s latest decision to impose a one-time $1,00,000 fee on new H-1B visa applications — a steep jump from the current fee of a few thousand dollars — is likely to hit young Indian women applicants the hardest, according to data.

H-1B visa workers are predominantly male. In FY24, among workers approved for continuing their jobs (extending or changing their jobs), 74% were men and only 26% were women. The below chart shows the approved H-1B beneficiaries by type of petition and gender in FY 2024 (in %)

Among workers approved for initial employment, 37% were women. This indicates that while men historically dominated the pool of H-1B holders, women are catching up as their share is relatively high among fresh applications. As the new fee targets new applicants, women’s prospects look dim.

Also, the annual salaries earned by for those seeking initial employment through the H-1B route are relatively low. For instance, if we line up 100 H-1B beneficiaries approved for initial employment in FY24, the bottom quarter (25th percentile) earned about $77,000, the middle worker (50th percentile) earned $97,000, and the top quarter (75th percentile) earned around $1,30,000 or more. Among continuing workers, the bottom quarter earned about $1,02,000, the middle-range salary was $1,32,000, and the top quarter earned above $1,69,000. The below chart shows the annual compensation of H-1B beneficiaries by petition type in FY2024 (Figures in $)

With the new visa cost consuming most or even all of the workers’ annual pay, sponsoring initial employment beneficiaries may become economically unviable for employers. This raises questions about the future of the H-1B programme for new entrants. For instance, if a company sponsors a new beneficiary, the total cost in the first year will far exceed that of supporting an experienced worker seeking continued employment.

This impact will be particularly felt on women beneficiaries, as they generally earn less than men in the H-1B programme, especially in the bottom quarter of workers. If we line up 100 H-1B beneficiaries who were approved for initial employment in FY24, the bottom quarter of women earned about $71,000 compared with the $80,000 that men earned. At the median level, women earned $91,000, while men earned $99,000. In the top quarter, women earned $1,25,000, while men earned $1,31,000. Across all percentiles, women H-1B workers earned less than men, which makes it an even tougher choice for employers to sponsor them. The below chart shows the annual compensation of H-1B beneficiaries (initial employment) by gender in FY2024 (Figures in $)

This peculiar skew is more pronounced among Indian women beneficiaries than those from most other countries. For instance, if we examine India and China alone, which together accounted for 83% of the beneficiaries in FY24, the gender skew is evident in India but not in China. Among Chinese H-1B workers, the share of women and men were similar in both categories: new workers and those continuing employment. The below chart shows approved H-1B beneficiaries by type of petition and gender in FY2024, among Indians and Chinese (by birth place)

The burden of the new fee also falls heavily on younger applicants, particularly women. Among women approved for new jobs in FY24, 75% were under 35 years of age, compared with 65% of men. This means the entry cost will hit a larger share of women who are beginning their careers . The below chart shows the H-1B petitions approved (initial employment) by age and gender of beneficiaries in FY 2024

Among women approved for new employment in FY24, 44% had completed a Master’s degree, compared with only 39% of men. The share of women with a Bachelor’s degree alone was lower. At the doctorate and professional levels, the difference between men and women was negligible. Since the new fee applies only to new petitioners, it will impact women more heavily, despite their higher educational qualifications relative to men. The below chart shows the H-1B petitions approved (initial employment) by level of education and gender of beneficiaries

While much of the above data refers to H-1B beneficiaries in general, the picture is largely shaped by Indians who made up 60% of the female and 75% of the male beneficiaries in FY24. As a result, the overall trends largely reflect what Indian H-1B workers earn, study, and how they are distributed by age.

Published – September 23, 2025 07:00 am IST