Anjum Chopra Expresses Surprise Over Pratika’s Asia Cup Inclusion, Questions India's T20I Strategy

Anjum Chopra Expresses Surprise Over Pratika’s Asia Cup Inclusion, Questions Indias T20I Strategy (Image Source: IANS)

ODI World Cup: Former India captain Anjum Chopra has expressed surprise at the selection committee’s decision to include opening batter Pratika Rawal in the T20I squad for the upcoming Asia Cup, adding that it’s been hard for her to understand the rationale behind the call-up.

Pratika was drafted into India’s squad for the upcoming continental event, starting in Dubai on August 28, as a replacement for Jemimah Rodrigues, who sustained a high-grade right hamstring tear while playing for Southern Brave in The Hundred.

Apart from this being Pratika’s maiden T20I call-up, she has not played a T20 game since the Challenger Trophy in November 2024, where she scored 142 runs at a strike rate of 111.81. For the Asia Cup, Pratika, who didn’t play WPL 2026 for UP Warriorz due to an ankle injury sustained during the 2025 ODI World Cup, was selected ahead of Anushka Sharma and Harleen Deol, who had previously been part of the T20I side.

"It's difficult to believe there was nobody else around that the Indian team could have picked. When I say that, I am not saying Pratika can't play T20, but why would you pick someone who has not played T20 in a long time? As far as I remember, even in domestic cricket, hardly any T20s have happened in which she played. She was not a part of the WPL. She is a quality cricketer, but the biggest challenge for me is that she is actually coming back from an injury.

"She was lined up to play for Warwickshire in England, which was in one-day format. From there, she will now be playing T20 as part of the Indian T20I team. Now there are a few reasons why this is questionable. First, she has very little competitive cricket behind her. Second, I am pretty certain the Indian team is not looking at her to bat at number three for India,” Anjum told IANS in an exclusive conversation on Wednesday.

“If she isn't batting at number three, will she be batting lower down the order? If so, why is she in this team? Before Pratika made it to the squad, Anushka Sharma was tried. There is Raghvi Bist, who has been doing the rounds and Vrinda Dinesh, who has played for India 'A', and so many other players have been around. If you want to give someone a chance, you might as well pick a player who is part of the WPL and who has travelled with the emerging India 'A' team.

"I don't understand why Pratika Rawal has been picked in this T20 team when she is short of competitive match practice since the 2025 World Cup. She went to Australia for ODIs and Tests, and played 50-over games for India 'A' before getting injured. It's quite surprising to see this selection," the former India captain added.

The bigger issue for Anjum is also whether an untested, injury-returning player like Pratika should be thrown straight into the playing eleven. Pratika sustained lacerations while fielding in an India ‘A’ 50-over game against England ‘A’ and missed the historic one-off Test at Lord’s in July.

"It's not rocket science to understand who the T20 players are. There has been a selection committee before this one, and another before their predecessors. I am not saying you can't pick a player because you believe in them - that's fine.

“Pratika Rawal could turn out to be the best T20 cricketer India has ever seen. Time will tell, but this is not the right timing. She is coming back from an injury, hasn't played much competitive cricket, and you expect her to walk straight in at number three - a spot where Jemimah has possibly not cemented her position yet,” she stated.

“How do you expect a young cricketer to walk in with such big boots to fill? If you want to give a chance, give Richa Ghosh a chance to bat at three. There are so many other options. If somebody has to be groomed, they can take anybody else. I won't say it's just the selectors - possibly they know something that we don't, but it's not out in the open.

“It's baffling to think that after rotating so many players over the last 24 months, none of those players can find a place in the main Indian team today, even on the bench. You start questioning the process. With the team having won a 50-over World Cup, it's very surprising that there is no clarity on the pipeline or the long-term thinking," she elaborated.

With Jemimah absent, Anjum’s alternative blueprint for number three doesn't hinge on a single name – instead, it's a list of options she believes will be overlooked in favour of an untested one.

"If she gets a chance to play, I will be really surprised, because that would be so unfair to other batters who haven't received opportunities. If you need someone at number three, why not promote Deepti Sharma? With a left-hander in Smriti and a right-hander in Shafali opening, having Deepti at three balances the order. If not Deepti, make sure Richa Ghosh walks in. If that is also not optioned, give the chance to batters on the bench who haven't played yet.

"Otherwise, G Kamalini might end up playing, and then we will be discussing why we are playing two wicket-keepers. For tournaments like this and the upcoming Asian Games, you could have taken players who were recently part of India 'A' or emerging teams and tested them at number three,” she opined.

Furthermore, Kamalini came into the squad at the expense of Yastika Bhatia, who didn’t have a memorable time in T20Is against England and at the T20 World Cup, though she did hit a historic Test century at Lord’s. Citing Yastika as a reference, Anjum wondered about the psychological impact of the Asian Games squad announcement, which came just two days after India’s T20 World Cup campaign ended.

“Imagine a player who has worked so hard to get into a World Cup team and is just trying to find her form. It's never easy - Yastika tried her best, and the people at the Centre of Excellence and her family would have given her confidence. But for a player to get back into fluency... in Test cricket, we saw she built an innings because she had that time in England, and the team gave her the opportunity to keep wickets. That was helpful.

Furthermore, Kamalini came into the squad at the expense of Yastika Bhatia, who didn’t have a memorable time in T20Is against England and at the T20 World Cup, though she did hit a historic Test century at Lord’s. Citing Yastika as a reference, Anjum wondered about the psychological impact of the Asian Games squad announcement, which came just two days after India’s T20 World Cup campaign ended.

“The announcement could have been delayed if there was an option - even recently, I saw Pakistan select their team for the Asian Games much later. There were so many players on the squad that went to England for the T20 World Cup who never got a chance to play enough games and won't get much of a chance in the next two tournaments. Decisions like that don't help the team, and it creates an environment where everyone is on tenterhooks, not knowing what's going to happen,” Anjum concluded.

Article Source: IANS