It’s been 48 years since the Indian women’s cricket team started their journey. There have been several ups and downs, from failing to get any recognition to now having one of the biggest women’s sports leagues in the world. But ultimate glory has continued to escape their grasp. They’ve come mighty close, but that first ICC trophy has continued to escape them.
In a few months, they’ll get one more crack. The Women’s T20 World Cup 2024 will be the place where they look to get over that hump. But what can they do to achieve something they’ve come close to thrice? Consistency and stop being over-reliant on Harmanpreet Kaur, says former Indian skipper Anjum Chopra.
The Indian women’s team reached their first ICC Final in 2005. Anjum was part of the side that fell short against the Australian juggernaut. Having gone through it, the cricketer-turned-commentator knows what the team needs.
Will WPL’s success lead to T20 World Cup glory?
When asked about whether Harmanpreet Kaur and Co. can translate the recent WPL success into a World Cup 2024 result, she remained clear that if India has a chance, it depends on their consistency. She agreed that they have made improvements in every department over the last few years, but the consistency that one needs to win those big tournaments still evades them.
“No one can say India will win the title or not. The improvement that the players have made in the last 12 to 16 months, is certainly more this year (2024) compared to the last. It’s a systematic process that the BCCI has set. The pathway, coaching, training, and regular matches are the reasons behind the improvement that has been going on even before the WPL. The improvement since the start of the WPL is very encouraging. So it’s not only about this World Cup. We want our Indian team to win a World Cup; whether they can win the one in Bangladesh or not, time will tell. Even if they are improving constantly and delivering the results and India is winning more consistently, it will be very nice because we still have a long way to go to start winning consistently. We win, but we need to win consistently.”
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Over-reliance on Harmanpreet Kaur needs to stop
When asked about the chance of Smirit Mandhana taking over the mantle from Harmanpreet Kaur, Anjum Chopra praised the southpaw but stated that her recent success with the Royal Challengers Bengaluru wasn’t her own but a collective performance. She stressed that instead of looking for one individual, the Indian cricket team should look for leaders. Instead of relying on Harmanpreet or Smriti, they should have multiple leaders in the dressing room.
“RCB didn’t win because of one player. And if they did, the player who stood out in the last three matches wasn’t Smriti Mandhana. Using one instance to get to the other factor is unfair to compare. She’s done well, and her team has won. But when you win as a franchise team, it’s not just one person’s success. There are a lot of factors that go into it.”
So Indian team captaincy in white-ball cricket and red-ball cricket (test)—I think it’s still a long way to go. Captaining an Indian team is a very different kettle of fish, and captaining a franchise team is a very different one, you know, from experience as well.
We need to groom not one but two or three people for that role (captaincy). There shouldn’t be a reliance on one single player; we should always have options. Right now, India is reliant on just Harmanpreet Kaur; we should look for people who get groomed in this role. Whether it is Smriti or anyone else, it doesn’t matter.”
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