Women's Asia Cup 2022: "The question has been around for a while" - Anjum Chopra on Team India finding Jhulan Goswami's successor
Former Indian cricketer Anjum Chopra believes Team India will find it difficult to replace a fast bowler of Jhulan Goswami's caliber. The legend finally bid adieu to the game after an incredible 3-0 win at Lord's in the ODI series against England.
Anjum Chopra wanted Shikha Pandey to take the baton from Goswami but the former hasn't been a regular part of the team. She feels that while Renuka Thakur is doing well with the new ball, Team India could use Deepti Sharma at the other end.
Speaking in a video on her YouTube channel, here's what Chopra had to say about Team India's new bowling combination:
"The question (of who will replace Jhulan Goswami) has been around for a while. Although I thought that Shikhar Pandey would do the role well, that wasn't to be. Renuka Thakur will have great confidence from her England tour and although conditions in Bangladesh are different, the confidence will help her perform well. I do feel Deepti Sharma will partner with Renuka for the new ball."
"The position of the players in the middle order needs to be fixed" - Anjum Chopra on the Team India's batting unit
Anjum Chopra believes a major reason for the lack of consistency from India's middle-order is that they haven't stuck to a particular batting hierarchy The former cricketer felt it was important for each batter to know their role so that they can adapt accordingly.
Leading from the front โ ๐ช๐๐๐๐๐๐ @ImHarmanpreet.
She was named the player of the series in the Sri Lanka T20I & ODI series and England ODI series.
๐ฎ๐ณ Leading from the front โ ๐ช๐๐๐๐๐๐ @ImHarmanpreet.
๐She was named the player of the series in the Sri Lanka T20I & ODI series and England ODI series.
๐ธ Getty โข #HarmanpreetKaur #WomensAsiaCup #AsiaCup2022 #TeamIndia #BharatArmy https://t.co/ZL8fLuaqDa
Speaking about the same, Chopra stated:
"I don't think the Indian women's team has reached the next level for us to expect flexibility in batting. The position of the players in the middle order needs to be fixed. The maximum flexibility that you can expect is Harmanpreet coming in at No. 3 when there's a good opening partnership. Other than that, I don't see anything else happening."
Women's Asia Cup squad: Harmanpreet Kaur (Captain), Smriti Mandhana (vice-captain), Deepti Sharma, Shafali Verma, Jemimah Rodrigues, Sabbineni Meghana, Richa Ghosh (wicket-keeper), Sneh Rana, Dayalan Hemalatha, Meghna Singh, Renuka Thakur, Pooja Vastrakar, Rajeshwari Gayakwad, Radha Yadav, K.P. Navgire.
Standby players: Taniya Sapna Bhatia, Simran Dil Bahadur.