Former India skipper Anjum Chopra criticised all-rounder Deepti Sharma’s game plan as Team India suffered their third consecutive loss at the ongoing Women’s ODI World Cup after falling short by just four runs during their chase against England on Sunday.
While vice captain Smriti Mandhana and captain Harmanpreet Kaur put up a brilliant performance with the bat, the former’s wicket initiated a collapse as India’s batting unit started crumbling under pressure.
All-rounder Deepti did play a composed knock, but gave away her wicket to Sophie Ecclestone while attempting an uppish shot towards the boundary. Chopra was critical of Deepti’s shot selection and said that going for an aerial shot against the England spinner, especially towards the biggest boundary, was completely ‘unnecessary.’
“It was virtually a run-a-ball equation. You have to understand how much hard work goes into getting your team into such a position. That 125-run partnership between Harmanpreet and Smriti was brilliant. They absorbed pressure and gave India control. But after reaching milestones, the concentration just slipped. Look at Smriti’s innings, from 5 to 50, and then 50 to 85; she was in complete control. That hard work deserved a big, match-winning hundred,” Anjum said on JioStar.
“We spoke about it after the last match as well. She got 80 against Australia and missed a hundred. Perhaps it’s the pressure of chasing or the desire to finish quickly. The same goes for Deepti. Why play an aerial shot on the biggest boundary against Sophie Ecclestone when it’s not needed? You already have a boundary in the over and Amanjot at the other end. It was unnecessary. Maybe it’s just that extra effort players put on themselves under pressure,” she added.
Despite being critical of the Indian spin-bowling all-rounder, Anjum also highlighted Deepti’s development and the positive aspects of the game.
“There are a lot of positives. When the team looks back, they’ll see that Deepti, Smriti, and Harmanpreet all contributed significantly. Deepti, in particular, has impressed over the last 12 months. Not only with her batting and bowling, but also her growing understanding of the game.
“Yes, she couldn’t take India over the line, but the way she carried the innings after Harmanpreet’s dismissal, rotating strike, avoiding risky sweep shots, opening up the off-side field, was impressive. The one major area of concern was fielding. India probably gave away 20–30 extra runs, and if those had been saved, the chase could have been much easier,” said Anjum.
