India, Oct. 6 -- Former India women's team captain Mithali Raj has backed the leadership transition after Harmanpreet Kaur stepped down as skipper, saying that a change of guard was required to usher in fresh ideas.

Harmanpreet Kaur announced her decision to step down as skipper across formats earlier on Tuesday, with her long-term deputy Smriti Mandhana, likely to take over.

"India needed a fresh mindset and that was clearly visible. In fact, the decision could have come a little earlier, perhaps. Smriti has been the vice-captain for quite some time now, so she understands the team and the environment very well," Mithali said in an interview with HT.

Mithali Raj, who was India's longest-serving captain, had been urging for a leadershi...