DUBAI: Neetu David, former India spinner and chairperson of the India women's team selection panel, accepted the responsibility for the group-stage exit but at the same time defended captain Harmanpreet Kaur after the team failed to make the semi-final for the first time since 2016.
"We cannot deny the fact that India's performance was not up to the mark in the World Cup. It is a fact, but for me, what is more important is what we learn from these situations," David told reporters on the sidelines of her induction into the ICC Hall of Fame.
"I believe Harman has been in terrific form and age is just a number. I understand that change is the only constant and it will happen, but the time has to be right. It is a collective decision for management to take," she added.
In Dubai, David was inducted into the Hall of Fame alongside South African legend Ab de Villiers and former England captain Alastair Cook as she became only the second Indian woman after Diana Edulji to receive that honour.
"I was surprised and got a little emotional as well because I never thought I would reach this level. Of course, I felt pride and at the same time got the reassurance that I had contributed something. I was not aware that I was the second Indian to receive this honour and Diana Edulji was the first one. I asked Hema di (Hemalatha Kala) to join me, but because we have domestic competitions back home so she was busy. I thought I would have to go by myself but Diana di came with me. I am happy for the next generation coming in as they can look at this honour and think if ICC is recognising Indian women's cricket, then there has to be something (good with it)," she stated.
India's performance at the recently concluded T20 World Cup was not up to the mark, despite captain Kaur and coach Amol Muzumdar suggesting that it was their best squad.
With the ODI World Cup coming on home soil next year, the team and selectors have their work out for them.
"We have a 50-over World Cup coming soon so we will definitely not give up anytime soon. India is still one of the best teams in the world and we will bounce back from this. Our new generation is maturing through the franchise league and the junior cricketers are aware of what they need to do to make it to the highest level. Our players are working on their fitness. The new generation that is coming in is athletic. You can look at the likes of Radha Yadav, Jemimah Rodrigues, and Shreyanka Patil. We understand that there are a few things we are lacking and we are trying to work on them," David explained.
When asked about the learnings from the T20 World Cup, David explained that the team will sit down together to discuss what went wrong in this tournament and come up with solutions for the future series.
"The selection is a process and we are watching these players over a long period on and off the field. So we thought that this was a strong team. One bad day in the field will happen and Australia is one of the best teams in the world. We accept that loss and I think we covered all of our bases and this was our best team. We will take our time to discuss and dissect what went wrong in this campaign. When we come back as a group, we will try and think about what we can do in the future. We can't change what has happened in the past, but we can always hope to do better," David said.