Anjum Calls India's White-ball Vice-captaincy Split ‘baffling,’ Questions Silence On Omissions

Anjum calls Indias white-ball vice-captaincy split ‘baffling,’ questions silence on omissions (Dubai: Team India Trains for Women’s Asia Cup )

The T20Is:  Former India captain Anjum Chopra on Friday termed the decision to split the T20I and ODI vice-captaincy between Shafali Verma and Deepti Sharma as 'baffling,' adding that the silence on the players left out of the squad in shortest format is also a real issue.

Smriti Mandhana will begin her tenure as full-time India captain from the series against Zimbabwe, with three T20Is and three ODIs to be played between October 16 and 28. The T20Is will be held in Raipur, while the ODIs will be played in Vadodara. It will also be the first bilateral women's series between India and Zimbabwe.

"It's baffling, simply because are you trying to give an indication to Deepti Sharma that she can be replaced or doesn't fit in the T20I team? She is one of the top all-rounders in world cricket. Is that the message you are giving?

“The Indian team had to be very careful in choosing a vice-captain, especially when transitioning to a new captain across all formats. Giving it to Shafali - it's not that you can't give it to her, you can give it to anybody. But if you're making Deepti Sharma the vice-captain in the one-day format, not giving her T20I vice-captaincy is surprising.

"Forget seniority based purely on how well she has performed for you across all formats, and not giving her that role suggests that Deepti Sharma might not even feature in the T20I playing eleven in the near future. That was a little surprising to me. Then again, since it's a series against Zimbabwe, if the thought process is to give Shafali a run in that role, fair enough," Anjum told IANS in an exclusive conversation.

Asked whether Jemimah Rodrigues's absence, as she recovers from a hamstring tear sustained in The Hundred, changed the picture in terms of vice-captaincy in the white-ball formats, Anjum had a different take.

"It doesn't matter who is there or who isn't there - it's about honouring your players. It was very baffling to me that nobody even discussed about Deepti Sharma as a senior player, let alone as a potential captain. Every time the Indian team is in a tough spot, everyone looks to Deepti to deliver with bat or ball, which is great.

“When you discuss players you can turn to, or someone who has performed so consistently well, leaving her out of those conversations is puzzling. Players want that recognition, and vice-captaincy is one of those areas where I am pretty certain Deepti Sharma would have felt honoured had that role gone to her across both formats."

The T20I squad has several changes. Niki Prasad and Jintimani Kalita have earned maiden senior T20I call-ups, while Minnu Mani and Anushka Sharma have staged a comeback to the team. Bharti Fulmali, Shreyanka Patil, Renuka Singh Thakur and Radha Yadav, all part of the Asian Games gold medal-winning squad, have been left out.

Anjum welcomed the addition of Niki, Jintimani, Minnu and Anushka, who are coming off playing in India A multi-format series against Australia A, but questioned the silence over the omission of someone like Shreyanka. "I'm happy that these four players are there. With Jintimani, I'm not entirely sure how her performances stacked up; I'm sure they were good because India did well and she performed, but I don't have a top-of-mind recall on how she bowled. From what I read and saw, her pace has improved, and she's a very good bowler and fielder.

“If she's performed well as per what selectors think, she deserves to be rewarded, much like Niki Prasad, who has done well. Anushka had a decent outing as well - in fact, Anushka was taken all the way to South Africa earlier this year, so I'm not surprised the batters have come in. What surprises me is why Shreyanka isn't in the squad.

“Unless she's carrying an injury, it's puzzling, especially since she was in the Asian Games squad and played in that final and was around the group. If she's injured, that's one thing, but if not, why isn't she included? The lack of official communication on why these players were left out is the real issue.

“Regarding Radha Yadav, it feels like the selectors aren't keen on continuing with her because she hasn't gotten many games. The last time she featured regularly was around the T20 World Cup, and since then she has mostly traveled with the squad. They clearly see Sree Charani as the way forward, which also explains why Vaishnavi Sharma is in the ODI squad.

“While I'm glad these four players are getting their chance, the key question remains: will they actually play? If Niki plays, she'll likely be looked at for the number four or five spot. If Anushka plays, where does she slot in? It's an interesting mix, but a good opportunity too for them. Whoever performed well in the Australia ‘A’ series should be given a run, so I'm glad to see them brought into the main team," she elaborated.

In the ODI squad, Vaishnavi Sharma, Tejal Hasabnis, Sayali Satghare and Yastika Bhatia return, while Nandni Sharma gets her first ODI call-up. "Nandni Sharma has been bowling really well alongside Kranti Gaud in T20Is, but India is short on pace options. Renuka Singh Thakur isn't in the T20I squad, which raises questions: is the team moving on, or is it a matter of match fitness?

“Since she hasn't had opportunities recently, you can't simply label her unfit. It's good to have these newer players in the mix. Smriti will be well aware of the challenges ahead, considering a similar group toured Australia, including Pratika Rawal for the Test match. The question now is how the Indian team navigates this transition and elevates their game.

“While the three ODIs against Zimbabwe carry weight for the ICC Women's Championship, the main focus is identifying and settling the core group for the ICC Women's Champions Trophy in India in February 2027. We'll start getting those answers once the series kicks off."

Zimbabwe are coming into the series after hosting the West Indies in a white-ball series, where they lost the T20I series 3-0 and the ODI series by 2-1. Though Zimbabwe managed to win an ODI game against the West Indies, Anjum stated that she does not expect them to pose a major threat to India.

"I don't think there'll be much of a challenge because, at the end of the day, India is a higher-ranked team than Zimbabwe. Yes, Zimbabwe has played a lot of cricket over the last eight to nine months - facing New Zealand, South Africa, and the West Indies – before coming to play India in India, which is good for them.

“It's all part of a learning curve to get better in the near future. That lone success in the ODI where the West Indies crumbled for under 150 (139) and Zimbabwe's batters held their nerve to chase it down and was nice to see. So I don't think it will be a massive challenge for India.

"I don't think there'll be much of a challenge because, at the end of the day, India is a higher-ranked team than Zimbabwe. Yes, Zimbabwe has played a lot of cricket over the last eight to nine months - facing New Zealand, South Africa, and the West Indies – before coming to play India in India, which is good for them.

Article Source: IANS