'Harmanpreet probably is in the best space at this point in time', feels Anjum Chopra

New Delhi, Sep 25 (IANS) With the 2025 Women’s ODI World Cup set to begin in less than a week’s time, all eyes will be on Harmanpreet Kaur, who is set to feature in the global tournament for the fifth time.

Incidentally, this will be Harmanpreet’s first time leading India in a 50-over World Cup, something that could shape both her legacy and the team’s pursuit of winning their maiden title. The pressure of captaining India in a marquee home event and leaving a huge imprint is something MS Dhoni and Rohit Sharma did with aplomb in the 2011 and 2023 Men’s ODI World Cup editions, respectively.

Now, similar expectations rest on Harmanpreet’s shoulders as she looks to guide India to glory on home soil. In an exclusive wide-ranging conversation with IANS, former India captain Anjum Chopra shares her insights on Harmanpreet, the Indian top-order dynamics, and the return of fast-bowling spearhead Renuka Singh Thakur.

Excerpts:

Q. How do you see this chance Harmanpreet Kaur has of leaving a lasting impact in what could be a defining home World Cup for her?

A. When you lead from the front, obviously, it matters. Harmanpreet probably is in the best space at this point of time. She's experienced and knows the drill – when as a deputy, she's been scoring runs and then India not winning, and when India has lost out, she's been around. So, she's probably had that mix of everything.

I say the same thing for Deepti, Sneh Rana and even for Smriti Mandhana. So, if a captain can lead from the front, nothing better than that. Looking at how she has shaped up over the past eight to nine months as a captain, and batter, she does give you confidence that she's ready for the big occasion.

But at the same time, when you step in, when you tell yourself that, yeah, this is probably my last 50 over World Cup, and this is the last time that I'll be playing in front of my home crowd as a captain in a 50 over World Cup - I think it just can give you a little bit more encouragement and awaken you to what the scenario is all about.

You would feel that an Indian captain should leave an imprint. That's why the player is chosen as an Indian captain. You don't think anything else. You don't expect any lesser achievement to be achieved by a captain than taking the team home towards a win.

Q: The selectors have didn’t pick Shafali Verma and instead chose to retain their faith in Pratika Rawal. But with her and Harleen Deol taking their time to get off the blocks, does that put more responsibility onto Smriti Mandhana to be the aggressor early on?

A. I feel that it's probably the sport or batsmanship has moved on a bit from there. So, if you're in an Indian team, you would be planning to have in the first, let's say, five or 10 overs, you would not want to lose a wicket, or more than a wicket, at least in an ideal scenario.

I'm talking about an ideal scenario, where you don't want to lose too many wickets. But at the same time, keep a very healthy run rate as well because you can't look at consolidating, or scoring 10-15 runs in last five or 7-8 overs. That's not been an Indian team's strength.

So, for India, the very fact that Pratika, Smriti, both have been scoring runs at the top of the order in their own respective styles, it has worked well for India. That is the reason why, Shafali Verma is not finding a place in the 15. So, they just need to probably follow that. It's not about being aggressive or defensive - it's about playing and adapting to the situation.

At the end of the day, if Indian team can get to a 300-plus score, if they're batting first and they feel that that score is good enough for their bowlers to defend, it's fine. Whether Smriti is an aggressor or Pratika or the ones to follow, at the end of the day, you need to have a good total on the board.

I just say a figure of 300 - not that it will be a very comfortable total, because we've seen that 320-325 runs have been chased or India might need to chase that as well (as they almost did in Saturday’s game against Australia). So, there needs to be a very conscious approach by the batting order and India relies on their batting as they get into the tournament.

Q. How much of a big boost is Renuka Singh Thakur being fit and available to play in the World Cup?

A. Massive boost. I think, I remember having a conversation with you earlier in this couple of months back and we were talking about how crucial it is for India to have a good bowling lineup.

With Sneh Rana coming in into the scheme of things, Radha Yadav having had a good couple of months in international cricket, she gives you that confidence at the spin bowling department with Deepti there as well and Charani is seeming a lot more comfortable and you have good options.

You can pick horses for courses depending upon the scenario and the opposition's strength and weakness against spin. But when we come to the seam bowling department, we were only reliant on Kranti Goud because she was the only one who was looking like a bowler who could possibly make it to the first eleven because Amanjot Kaur was in and out even in the England matches.

Although she was fully fit, she wasn't played in all the games there. So, for Renuka Singh Thakur to come back is a massive boost to this lineup. It just gives an opportunity to everyone to breathe slightly easy because remember it's a 50 over World Cup, not just T20.

So, you need bowlers who can bowl out those 10 overs, stand on the park and field for 50 overs. So, Renuka coming in is good and I only hope that the way she shapes up towards the World Cup, she should remain healthy.

Q. How do you see the Indian team managing Amanjot Kaur’s workload during the World Cup, considering her previous injury flare-up in England?

A. Look, for me, Amanjot Kaur has to be in the playing eleven, period. Whether you drop a batter, bowler or you adjust that playing eleven in whichever manner you can, I don't think there is main match or less match. Yes, you can probably plan and give an option of giving Amanjot’s body some rest. Probably not pushing her to the T.

But that can only happen in maybe, and I'm just being hopeful, maybe I'm not taking any team lightly, in one odd game. For me, if I'm getting into a tournament, I will have a certainty of Amanjot Kaur in that playing eleven for sure because she will provide me the batting, bowling and fielding – the all-round ability that she brings to the table as one player and do my three jobs.

So, for me, it's a no-brainer that Amanjot Kaur should be in that playing eleven. As I said earlier for Renuka Singh Thakur as well, I just hope that Amanjot remains fit and fine. By the time she gets into the World Cup first game, she should be raring to go because remember, the day she plays she's also going to be making her debut for India in a World Cup.

Q: Losing Yastika Bhatia to knee injury was a big blow. Her replacement Uma Chetry hasn’t played an ODI yet - do you see her stepping up to the team’s needs if called upon anytime in the tournament?

A. It doesn't play out very well because if Yastika would have been in the squad, at least Indian team would have had an option of playing her as well if at all Richa's batting abilities were not really getting utilised or not coming to the fore. But Richa in any case has been a first-choice wicket-keeper.”

But because now you don't have Yastika, Uma has come in. I don't think Uma will start as a frontline wicket-keeper batter for India, whether she is batting at the top of the order, where there is neither an opportunity or an option. If she gets a chance, she will bat lower order only. But the skill that she possesses as a wicket-keeper, which is very valuable.

So, for her to get drafted in is probably an automatic choice. But yes, only one left-hander in the side does put it very simply for the opposition bowlers to plan in which areas they want to target the Indian team batters.

But if you are in the Indian team, I will just take it with a pinch of salt and move on and say at least my first 11 or first 12 players which I think will be playing in the initial phase of the tournament are not disturbed. So, I will take heart from that not being disturbed.

--IANS

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