We don’t have many options in any department: Former skipper Anjum Chopra

Former skipper Anjum Chopra doesn’t think that removing Harmanpreet Kaur from captaincy is a solution as the Indian women’s team do not have quality back-up options in any of the departments.

While another legendary former skipper, Mithali Raj, has urged the selectors to look at the bigger picture and groom a young captain like Shafali Verma for WT20Is, Chopra doesn’t find it a feasible course correction. “Why are we even talking about a change (in captaincy)? You can make anybody the captain. That doesn’t mean that the rest of the 10 players will start performing differently. And if that has to happen, then I think we’re in a very bad zone or a wrong place,” Chopra told PTI in an interview.

“I’m not saying that nobody can become a captain. It’s not a permanent position for anyone. And if change of captaincy is the solution, then I think in every series, we should keep changing captains if that is the way that we are going to get results,” the stylish southpaw of yesteryears said.

The 49-year-old all-rounder believes that there aren’t many strong options beyond the current core whether it is top order, middle-order, pace or spin.

“We’re obviously lacking in the pace department. We are lacking options in the spin department. Presently, there is Sneh Rana, there is Deepti Sharma and there is Shree Charani. On the fringes is Radha Yadav.

“We are also lacking [in quality] in the middle order. We are lacking in batting options in the top order. So there are a lot of areas that we are a very much a work-in-progress team,” she observed.

Chopra also questioned the preparation of the team and the lack of faith in reserve players beyond the core 12.

“Let’s just go back to the 2025 ODI World Cup. We didn’t have a 13th player in this Indian team. We had to get Shafali Verma, who was playing domestic cricket in Surat, and she had to come in and walk straight into the playing 11.

“So we didn’t even have a 13th player on this team who could step in and replace an injured Pratika Rawal. We had to get a player from outside,” she made some harsh observations.

She stressed the need for more options in the team to achieve optimal results.

“Yes, we have good players, but we are looking at players, if you’re wanting to win World Cups or you’re wanting to win championships, we have to have options.

“One player gets injured, we are looking for options, and we have to wait for somebody to come from outside. So let’s start strengthening the bases first.” She cited Australia as an example of a team with many options for every position.

“Australia, I always feel that they have more than one player in that line-up. Because when they select a team, they select options. They don’t just select players, they select options. That’s how Australia dominates.

“And you see their team, they will always have more than one option for that one slot in that 9-11. For us to get into that kind of a space, it will take time because our assembly line also has to be in that same vein as to see to get the end result,” she signed off.