Barely days after celebrating Harmanpreet Kaur’s Asiad gold medal, Dunne Ke village in Moga district on Tuesday woke up to the news of her stepping down as the Indian women’s team cricket captain.Harmanpreet announced on Instagram that she was giving up the captaincy in Tests, ODIs and T20Is, while making it clear she wanted to play on “for the love of the game”.She led India in five Tests, 51 ODIs and 155 T20Is, and her last act as the captain was defending the Asian Games gold in Nisshin, Japan last month. She had also led the team to its first ODI World Cup title last year.Villagers noted they felt immense pride when she clinched the gold, with sweets distributed and the news of her victory shared across households.Residents said her decision showed another side of her personality. In their view, she chose to step aside so that other members of the squad could grow into leaders, preferring to be a team member rather than hold the top job.“She has shown that a true leader is one who prepares others to lead,” a senior citizen from the village said.Harmanpreet’s father, Harmandar Singh Bhullar, said he was proud of his daughter. Bhullar added that his daughter believed in sharpening the skills of her teammates, instead of imposing herself as the captain. He said she had always put the team before personal glory, and that her decision was in accordance to that outlook.The cricketer’s announcement comes a day after Harmanpreet, vice-captain Smriti Mandhana and head coach Amol Muzumdar met BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia in Guwahati. Mandhana, who led Royal Challengers Bengaluru to the Women’s Premiere League (WPL) title in 2024 and 2026, is widely seen as the frontrunner to succeed her, though BCCI has not named a successor yet.Harmanpreet is expected to continue leading Mumbai Indians in the next WPL season.Back home in Dunne Ke, the sentiment amongst villagers was one of gratitude. Villagers said the girl who began her journey from Moga had given the region and the country a lasting legacy, and that they would keep cheering for her, captain or not.