New India women's captain Smriti Mandhana has paid a heartfelt tribute to Harmanpreet Kaur after the veteran stepped down from the captaincy across formats.

Sharing a picture of Harmanpreet on her Instagram story, Mandhana wrote: "It's been a pleasure playing with you for so many years. Ten years of your leadership have been fantastic and together, we will strive to bring many more laurels for our nation."

The message came amid reports of tension between the two, and it underlined mutual respect between the outgoing and incoming captains. Mandhana, 30, has been part of the Indian setup since 2013 and previously led the side in 18 T20Is and four ODIs.

Teammates joined in the tributes. Jemimah Rodrigues thanked Harmanpreet for her years of leadership, while wicketkeeper Richa Ghosh called it a new chapter rather than a goodbye. Harmanpreet, 37, stepped down after a decade at the helm, during which India won the 2025 ODI World Cup and back-to-back Asian Games gold medals.