The one-off Test in Queensland’s Gold Coast ended in a draw, but the India women ensured they finished the game on a high.
Importantly, Mithali Raj and her troops held the upper hand on all four days of the game against a strong Australian side, which augurs really well for the women’s team going forward, emphasised former India captain Anjum Chopra.
Back in June, the Indian women showed a lot of character on the final day in Bristol to force a draw against England. And on this occasion, they put in an even better performance that forced the Australians to be on the defensive for most part of the Test.
“Had it not rained so much and with a little more luck, India would’ve had a greater chance to win. Nonetheless, they deserve credit for performing admirably,” Anjum, currently commentating in the ongoing IPL in the UAE, told The Telegraph.
“There were some really impressive performances. Of course, (centurion) Smriti Mandhana did a fine job, but you’ve got to laud Shafali (Verma) and Deepti Sharma’s batting as well.
“Overall, it was a good team effort and I’m so happy to see the team come out the way they did,” the 44-year-old, who used to bat left-handed and represented India in 12 Tests, 127 ODIs and 18 T20Is, said.
Anjum agreed with Mithali that the Indian women needed to play Test matches at home too. “Obviously, she said the right thing as players need to play more and have the much-needed game time in order to fare even better in this format. “In any case, they get less (Test) matches, and it’s just not enough compared to the number of ODIs and T20Is they play,” Anjum stated.
Filling Jhulan’s shoes
Anjum minced no words in saying it would be difficult to find someone filling pacer Jhulan Goswami’s shoes. The other quicks, Meghna Singh and Pooja Vastrakar, who had the best figures (3/49) in the first innings, certainly did a commendable job in the day-night Test. But consistency is crucial, Anjum pointed out.
“Jhulan has been playing for almost 20 years now. But tell me which pacer has been able to create that sort of pressure from the other end?” Anjum asked.
“You look at this Australian team. Almost everyone, except the captain (Meg Lanning) and wicketkeeper (Alyssa Healy), can bowl, which shows they have plenty of options. In our case, we need someone to consistently do well at the other end till the time Jhulan is there.
“Obviously, after she retires, it will be a tough hole to fill. Meghna, though, I would say did a decent job on the Australia tour and if she can continue this way, you can at least have an option. Else, you had to go back to the same (seamer all-rounder) Shikha Pandey and then the spinners.
“Meghna’s progress is definitely one good sign, but more and more players have to step up and make use of the opportunities,” Anjum explained.
Three quicks in XI
Including at least three quicks in the XI is a must for India in the World Cup that will be held in New Zealand in March, Anjum stressed. “In the World Cup, they need to play three fast bowlers at least,” she said.
“We do have one left-arm spinner (Rajeshwari Gayakwad) and an all-rounder (Deepti), but in New Zealand, they can’t rest entirely on their spinners because the Indian team will be playing in different venues where conditions will favour quicks in most cases. Not that they play where they’ll set base.”
“Also, Shikha has to get back to form. She maybe needed in the World Cup,” Anjum added. The 32-year-old Shikha last donned India colours during the T20I series on the England tour in July. She did fairly well in the first game, taking 3/22, but went wicketless in the next couple of matches. Her numbers weren’t too inspiring in the one-off Test and the ODIs either.
