Ahmedabad, June 3:
The English conditions are no longer “alien” for the Indian women’s cricket team, who will start as favorites at the upcoming T20 World Cup, says former captain Anjum Chopra.
The ‘Women in Blue’ begin their T20 World Cup campaign against arch-rivals Pakistan in Birmingham on June 14.
“England conditions are not alien. Few of them or most of them have already played there, at least the core of this Indian team.
“For Nandini (Sharma), yes, she is playing there. But in a very small career of Shree Charani, this is her second tour to England in less than 12 months,” Chopra told PTI in an exclusive interaction.
“For me, India will always remain one of the favourite sides. Obviously, I want them there. Not only in the top four. I want them in the top two and then the top team,” she added.
One of the biggest positives for India in the lead-up to the World Cup has been the return of wicketkeeper-batter Yastika Bhatia from a lengthy injury layoff.
The left-hander made an immediate impact on her comeback, scoring a fluent 54 off 40 balls in the opening T20I against England, a match in which skipper Harmanpreet Kaur was rested.
With Yastika staking a strong claim to the No. 3 spot and Jemimah Rodrigues moving down the order, Chopra feels the Indian team management may need to embrace greater flexibility in its batting line-up.
“It’s very good that she (Yastika) is scoring runs and she scored in the first T20. Though she missed out on a long innings in the second. But what it also does is that it’s not about just balancing out Jemmy and Harman and Yastika.
“I think Indian team will probably need to be a little more open about flexibility in the batting order,” she noted.
“I am not saying that they will not be because right now, it’s just a series against England. But in less than a couple of weeks they will play their first World Cup game, I feel there needs to be a little more adaptability to the flexibility.”
India have been drawn in a challenging Group 1 alongside Australia, South Africa, Pakistan, Bangladesh and the Netherlands, with only the top two teams progressing to the semifinals.
“Even Pakistan has been playing some very good cricket. And India does not know how Netherlands would come out. They’ve also made it to the World Cup.”
“And why should we just forget the fact that there is an Australian team and a South African team in the same pool. So, only two of the teams can qualify for the semi-finals from that pool. So, it’s not going to be very easy.”
Patidar has got all skills to get India T20I call up
Fresh off leading Royal Challengers Bengaluru to a second successive IPL title, Rajat Patidar has done enough to force his way into India’s T20I reckoning, according to Chopra.
“He will definitely find a place in the squad of the Indian T20 team, undoubtedly. He has always had the skill. Even when he made the Test debut for India, it was just one of those opportunities.”
“It’s just that the Indian team is so full in that middle order or in the top order right now. If you look at any batter to get an opportunity, it’s a tough one to break through, but Patidar has always been very skillful, very talented.
“It’s not just about winning IPL. It’s just a confirmation about him being a leader and the franchise winning.”
Handling the spotlight will be Sooryavanshi’s biggest test
Teen batting sensation Vaibhav Sooryavanshi has become one of the biggest talking points in Indian cricket after his stunning IPL campaign, but Chopra believes his toughest challenge now lies away from the cricket field.
“If it (spotlight) has to go to his head, he has to balance it out. The fandom is there for everyone to see. The following is there for the sport,” she said.
“It is just upon him how he handles it or around him, people who are there, how they educate him to handle all this,” she explained.