"Are they really a near-finished product getting into the Indian team?" - Anjum Chopra questions debutants' preparedness for international cricket
Anjum Chopra has lamented the difference in standards between the Indian and Australian newcomers in international cricket.
Shreyanka Patil was the star performer among the Indian debutants in the recently concluded three-match ODI series against Australia, picking up four wickets in two games at a reasonable economy rate of 5.00. However, Mannat Kashyap and Saika Ishaque, the other two debutants, were found wanting, going wicketless and proving extremely expensive in the one match apiece they played.
In a video shared on her YouTube channel, Chopra claimed that Indian domestic cricket, unlike the Australian system, doesn't seem to be churning out international-ready players. She explained (6:20):
"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."
Speaking about the Women in Blue's challenges after a 3-0 loss to Australia, the former India captain picked fielding and seam bowling as the greatest concern areas. She elaborated (5:20):
"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."
Chopra added that even in the spin-bowling department, once Sneh Rana was ruled out of the final game, Deepti Sharma seemed to be the lone warrior before Shreyanka got her rhythm towards the latter stages of the match.
"Deepti Sharma showed consistency in the bowling department" - Anjum Chopra on India's positives from the ODI series vs Australia
![Deepti Sharma picked up seven wickets in the three-match ODI series. [P/C: Getty]](https://statico.sportskeeda.com/editor/2024/01/39559-17042634474385-1920.jpg?w=500)
Anjum Chopra picked newcomers getting opportunities and Deepti Sharma's consistent performances with the ball as some of the positives for India. She said (4:35):
"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."
The cricketer-turned-commentator chose Shreyanka Patil, Richa Ghosh and Jemimah Rodrigues' performances as the other plus points for the hosts. She elaborated:
"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."
Richa (166) and Jemimah (159) were the top run-getters for India in the three-match series. The Bengal wicketkeeper-batter played a 96-run knock in the hosts' narrow three-run loss in the second ODI.