India's World Cup-winning captain Harmanpreet Kaur added another special milestone to her illustrious career as she unveiled her wax statue in Jaipur on Friday, November 13. The statue will be installed at the Historical Museum inside Nahargarh Fort, where it will stand alongside those of legendary Indian cricketers MS Dhoni and Sachin Tendulkar.

The honour places Harmanpreet among some of India's biggest sporting icons and recognises her contribution to women's cricket. Her journey, particularly as the captain who led India to their maiden Women's ODI World Cup title, has been an inspiration for the next generation of female cricketers.

Speaking about the honour and sharing her thoughts on being featured alongside Dhoni and Tendulkar, Harmanpreet acknowledged that she still had a long way to go but described the recognition as a major achievement.

"See, I think they are very great cricketers. I am still not at that level, but for me, it is a very big achievement that my statue is being made, and I'm sure that upcoming cricketers will get even more motivation from this and will be able to do well for the country," she said.

The recognition comes after Harmanpreet led India to their maiden Women's ODI World Cup title in 2025. Under her leadership, India created history by defeating South Africa in the final to lift their first-ever World Cup trophy.

HARMANPREET ADJUSTING TO LIFE AFTER CAPTAINCY

The honour comes at an interesting phase in Harmanpreet's career. Last month, the 37-year-old stepped down as India's captain across all three formats, bringing an end to a significant chapter of her leadership journey. She had led India in five Tests, 51 ODIs and 155 T20Is, with the 2025 World Cup triumph standing out as the biggest achievement of her tenure.

However, stepping down as captain does not mean the end of Harmanpreet's journey with Indian cricket. She remains an important part of the team and will now focus on contributing as a player. Smriti Mandhana has since taken over as India's captain across formats, while Harmanpreet looks to embrace this new phase of her career.

Her next assignment will be India's all-format tour of South Africa in December. Harmanpreet has been named in all three squads for the tour, which comprises one Test, three ODIs and three T20Is. The series will begin with the one-off Test in Gqeberha on December 9, followed by the ODI leg from December 16 and the T20I series from December 26.

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