Fielding holding Shafali Verma back from returning to side?
CHENNAI: With the series against Ireland starting soon, a source close to BCCI has said that it is up to the team management and players to make the most of the chances they are given. "Players make it to the India senior team level because they have the talent and capabilities. If the players were incapable, they would not be selected to represent India at the senior level. How their ability is used for the team's cause makes a difference. How these players then deal with the match situation makes the whole difference," a source close to the BCCI told this daily.
There were no comments offered on the non-selection of pacer Arundhati Reddy for any of the home series despite her consistent performances in white-ball fixtures. Her exclusion was termed as "an error in timing" by the source. Ahead of the West Indies series, captain Harmanpreet Kaur was asked about not having Reddy and opener Shafali Verma in the squad. “I can only talk about the team, team is here and what (all) things we can do to win this series. Regarding Shefali or any other player, (it is) better to ask the right persons,” Kaur had replied.
The BCCI source suggested that the captain with this much experience could have answered the question in a better way. "The captain saying 'ask the right people' was not correct. She could have answered that in a better way. It doesn't reflect well on the team and leadership."
On the other hand, Verma has shown her mettle in the domestic competitions as the highest run-scorer of the Senior one-day competition and is currently topping the list in the Challenger Trophy with 273 runs in three fixtures after getting dropped from the ODI series against Australia.
The source confirmed that there are eyes on how she does in these tournaments but at the same time she needs to improve in one department to make sure her name is in contention again. "Shafali is performing well in these competitions, but she needs to work on her fielding."
As the ODI World Cup on home soil approaches fast, the need to have an all-rounder who can take the game away from the opposition has been stressed again. The source also suggested that it is a good time to separate the two teams playing two white-ball formats with more clarity. "If you want to win the big tournaments, you at least need an all-rounder who can take the game away. No one has won the World Cup without someone playing that role. Take for example the 2011 men's team that won the World Cup. They had Yuvraj Singh doing that job. Who can take that job for this team? Maybe now it is time for us to have different teams for different formats. It is the right time. One day and Tests are different and you cannot play like T20s in those games."
India's performance in the recent ICC event, where the side could not make it to the semi-final of the T20 World Cup for the first time since 2018, was one of the biggest disappointments of 2024. Many 'saw it coming' the way India performed in the final of the Asia Cup, India's last tournament before the T20 World Cup, where they lost to Sri Lanka as the hosts chased down 166 to win the title. "(The) team received the warning bells in the final of the Asia Cup leading into the World Cup. If Asha Sobhana was going to be the important bowler for the team, why she did not get a game in the Asia Cup? The team needs to be more accountable."
There was also criticism of the way India played throughout the tournament, especially against Pakistan in the second match where they chased the total of 105 only in the 19th over knowing the net run rate could have come into the calculation after their loss against New Zealand in the opening fixture. "One could understand the loss in the first match of the World Cup, but knowing the net run rate would play a big role, how could we afford to stretch the match till the 19th over? We could not afford to give away the net run rate, which is what happened. It hampers the team morale. It's about accepting feedback and working on it."
With Kaur not being part of the series against Ireland, Smriti Mandhana has taken over the leadership role with Deepti Sharma as her deputy. It will be interesting to see what the team gains out of this series.