NEW DELHI: Former India player Anjum Chopra believes Harmanpreet Kaur continues to be the “best person” to lead the Indian women’s cricket team, even as discussions around captaincy have resurfaced ahead of a packed international calendar and the upcoming Women’s Premier League (WPL).
With the Indian women’s team set to return to action in a T20 series against Sri Lanka following their World Cup triumph, Chopra said the emphasis should be on sustaining winning momentum rather than speculating about leadership changes.
“My personal view over the past so many years has been that Harmanpreet Kaur is a match-winner. I don’t think I need to say anything further,” Chopra told PTI Videos.
“She’s the best person to lead this Indian team.”
Chopra dismissed recent suggestions by former India captain Shantha Rangaswamy calling for a change in leadership, stressing that such opinions are subjective.
“Everybody has their right to share what they feel. There’s nothing right or wrong. It’s just the timing of it,” she said.
“I still feel that she’s the correct person and the apt person to lead India.”
Looking ahead to the Sri Lanka series, Chopra underlined the importance of quickly shifting focus back to competitive cricket after weeks of celebrations.
“The quicker they get back into playing, everybody wants to continue that winning momentum,” she said.
“The moment you step back onto the park, you want to start exactly from where you left.”
She added that the five-match T20 series assumes significance as preparation, with another T20 World Cup on the horizon.
The former opener also spoke at length about the evolving power game in women’s cricket, acknowledging comparisons with teams such as Australia and New Zealand.
“Power is not something that everybody is born with,” Chopra said.
“There are certain players like Harman (Harmanpreet Kaur) and Richa (Ghosh). The power they possess is possibly natural power.”
However, she stressed that power can also be developed through training.
“Power is something that you can always gain. And there are techniques, there is proper training to it,” she said, adding that Indian players have made notable progress in this area.
“You can’t be chasing down 340 runs without having those big hits. They are improving on that.”
Chopra credited leagues such as the WPL for accelerating the growth of power-hitting among Indian players.
“Tournaments like the WPL, tournaments where the international players rub shoulders with our domestic players, that awareness will keep happening,” she said.