Former Indian Captain Anjum Chopra expressed disappointment in the contrasting standards between the Indian and Australian newcomers in international cricket. Indian women handed three debut caps during the recently concluded ODI series against Australia in the form of Saika Ishaque, Shreyanka Patil, and Mannat Kashyap.
While Shreyanka Patil showcased an impressive performance among the Indian debutants during the three-match ODI series against Australia, taking four wickets in two games with a reasonable economy rate of 5.00, the other two debutants, Mannat Kashyap and Saika Ishaque, struggled. Kashyap and Ishaque went wicketless and were expensive in the one match each they played.
Are they really a near-finished product getting into the Indian team”- Anjum Chopra
In a video posted on her YouTube channel, Anjum Chopra said that Indian domestic cricket, contrasting to the Australian system, appears to be lacking in producing players ready for international cricket. She elaborated on this in her video,
“When we get players from domestic cricket, are they really a near-finished product getting into the Indian team? That’s a question mark. If we see Shreyanka Patil, Mannat Kashyap or Saika Ishaque, and Annabel Sutherland or Phoebe Litchfield – the latest one to come into international cricket, you see a huge difference,” said Anjum Chopra.
Discussing the challenges faced by Harmanpreet and Co. after a 3-0 loss to Australia, the former India captain identified fielding and seam bowling as the primary areas of concern. Anjum explained further,
“The biggest challenge is the fielding department. The fielding standard went down in every match. Bowling is also a challenge. Renuka Singh Thakur was off-color completely. Pooja Vastrakar was doing a good job from one end for sure but a good spell, that was seen in the second match, wasn’t seen in the third,” she added.
The cricketer-turned-commentator also mentioned that in the spin-bowling department, especially after the absence of Sneh Rana in the final game, Deepti Sharma appeared to be the only reliable performer until Shreyanka found her rhythm during the second half of the game.
Anjum Chopra speaks on the Positives from the Series against Australia
Anjum Chopra highlighted the positives for India, including the opportunities given to newcomers and Deepti Sharma’s consistent performances with the ball. Anjum said,
“If we look at the positives for the Indian team, at least the players who got a place in the series, most of them got to make their debuts – Shreyanka Patil, Mannat Kashyap and Saika Ishaque. Deepti Sharma showed consistency in the bowling department,” said Anjum Chopra.
As for positive aspects for the hosts, Anjum Chopra pointed out the performances of Shreyanka Patil, Richa Ghosh, and Jemimah Rodrigues. Anjum explained,
“Shreyanka Patil showed consistency in the second and third matches, that’s another positive. In batting, Richa Ghosh played a good knock. Jemimah Rodrigues had good outings in all three games. They are the takeaways for India from the ODI series,” she added.
Richa Ghosh and Jemimah Rodrigues emerged as the top run-scorers for India in the three-match series. Richa, the wicketkeeper-batter from Bengal, played a crucial 96-run innings in India’s narrow three-run loss in the second ODI. She accumulated a total of 166 runs in the series, while Jemimah contributed with 159 runs.
Also Read: https://goworldwide.co.in/australia-women-edge-out-india-women-by-3-runs-in-thrilling-2nd-odi/