‘Harman should’ve been given captaincy earlier’

My wish is for India to win the 2023 World Cup But Australia is strong so is South Africa and England They should put up a good show After all India has limited opportunities barely 1012 matches until the tournamentrdquoFormer team India captain and popular broadcaster Anjum Chopra is offering a realistic prediction about the Indian womenrsquos national teamrsquos chances when this writer connects with her in Delhi over a telephone call ldquoThatrsquos the beauty and the banemdashthey donrsquot have enough games So each time a player goes out to bat or bowl she knows whatrsquos at stakerdquoChopra would know Having negotiated the uncharted terrain herself from a debut in 1995 to her elevation as captain in 2002 the 45yearold has seen it all Since she retired from the game in 2012 she has made a name as an analytical sports broadcaster in whatrsquos largely a male bastion But being a game changer isnrsquot new for the Arjuna and Padma Shri awardee whose love affair with cricket has seen her constantly reinvent the wheel In fact towards the end of our chat in reply to a query she expresses keenness to become an administrator in the womenrsquos game ldquoIrsquove had a few discussions around it If my expertise and knowledge is required I will be happy to play a rolerdquoEdited excerpts from the interviewWhat challenges do you face as Indiarsquos first woman cricket commentator on the global stageI love the sport and have wanted to be associated with it in some capacity Being a broadcaster allows me to be at the ground and witness it from the closest quarters which is a privilegeAlso Read Mumbai A city of dreamshellip but not for allWhen I began I received a lot of assistance and was fortunate to work with and I continue to learn from some of the best For me it was never about stepping on the ground one day and speaking on a mic I was involved with cricket analysis and studio shows even while I was playing Irsquom an avid biker I have worked as airline professional and I have also captained India I make the most of opportunities across interests when they come my wayJust because I have broken the glass ceiling doesnrsquot offer me surety You need to keep scoring runs to be counted in a team Likewise in broadcasting I have to constantly improve Homework and awareness matters before you voice your views to the world Anjum Chopra from her playing days in 2009 At the 2009 World Cup in Australia the team led by Chopra finished third at the World Cup behind England and New Zealand PicWikimedia CommonsHow much has being a cricketer helped you in the commentary boxI believe a major advantage is being able to relate to a particular scenario on the field because yoursquove alreadybeen thereWhat do you feel about Harmanpreet Kaur becoming Indiarsquos new allformat captainWhenever a new captain takes over parallels are drawn between their performances and how they lead the side In the recent series against Sri Lanka I observed that she batted and bowled well she bailed the team out in difficult scenarios in most matches She also bagged Player of the Series But I wouldnrsquot like to rate her as captain basis one series Based on what Irsquove seen of her I feel she should have been given captaincy earlier She was leading the T20 side since 2016 but India hardly played any T20 cricketHarman realises that she is in a different league as a senior who must deliver When a player is aware of their role itrsquos possible to gauge if theyrsquove understood this responsibility From my observing her in the past few years she seems aware The next threefour years are crucial to pave the way for the next leader to emerge Mithali passed on the baton but the team hasnrsquot matured We need it leadership to percolate whether itrsquos Deepti Sharma Smriti Mandhana Poonam Yadav or Taniyaa Bhatia who have all been in the team for a while How the balance between Harman the leader is played out and this core group will shape the teamWhat challenges prevail in Indian womenrsquos cricketThe BCCI needs to have a welldefined structure for the womenrsquos game The more similar it is the more different it is you realise to the menrsquos game Forget about the first 15 there is a fight to pick the first 11 of the Indian menrsquos team chuckles This is the scenario that needs to be achieved in the womenrsquos game too But itrsquos far away BCCI has a great structure that has produced matchwinners But this didnrsquot happen overnight Even with the IPL it took decades for returns to come For the womenrsquos game to improve we need to assess and reassess the structure wherever modifications are required that are different from menrsquos cricket they need to be madeSo would a womenrsquos IPL have helped bridge the gapIt is not about the IPL alone If it was initiated about four five or six years ago the scenario might have been different But there is little point raising this now Itrsquos been 16 years since the ICC merged with the International Womenrsquos Cricket Council where menrsquos cricket boards across countries took over the womenrsquos game Our structure is good but not the perfect one for womenrsquos cricket We need to go backwards to take it forwardFor girls there is no school cricket college cricket is also minimal If not school from school level the supply chain of seniorlevel male cricketers emerges from leagues and club cricket This isnrsquot the case for womenrsquos cricketFavourite moment as commentatorldquoIt was my first time in the commentary box for the 2007 Afro Asia Cup in Bangalore Harsha Bhogle Pommie Mbangwa and Ravi Shastri were there I remember being awestruck when Mr Shastri was commentating Suddenly I felt a tap on my shoulder It was Harsha who smiled and said ldquoAnjum the match is taking place in front of you not beside yourdquoRapid FireFavourite cricketers to watch Harmanpreet Kaur and Meg LanningFavourite commentators Naseer Hussain Ian Smith Ian Bishop Simon Doull Mel Jones Isa GuhaWhat do you do to switch off Sleep Itrsquos the best way to not do anything and relax your mind and body