Another World Cup, another loss. If not in the final, then in the semis. On this occasion, India was knocked out even without reaching the semis!
The analysis of the situation is a must for remedial action. Was it poor play? Was it a lack of skill? Was it a lack of intent or poor decision-making, or poor execution, above all?
I would say it was a lack of skill and intent from game one onwards. Against Pakistan, when India batted first, the batting display was absolutely bizarre. To get the ball off the square was a challenge for Indian batters, until Pooja Vastrakar and Sneh Rana decided to play some positive cricket.
The challenge continued until a better display came against the West Indies. It was bad decision-making as well. To bat second against New Zealand and the continuous underutilisation of bowling resources was glaring right through the tournament.
In the must-win game against South Africa, for Mithali Raj to not use Harmanpreet Kaur for the two remaining overs of her quota was baffling. A bowler who had brought the team success by breaking two partnerships when all others struggled to find the correct length, left one wondering why she was not getting to bowl again. Then, to get a seamer when the Indian spinners were dominating, indicated poor decision-making and changed the run of play at a crucial juncture.
Decision-making is an art, not a science. Apart from game sense, one needs guts and a strong bone in the body to make an informed decision.
The leadership role usually comes with a shelf like. It can be extended depending upon the good and positive developments around (individually and collectively). The management, over a decade and a half, backed Mithali's leadership along with her individual batting skills. Her successor Harmanpreet Kaur, who is already India's T20 captain, is the captain in-waiting across formats.
With a positive intent, aggression and a fresh perspective, her accession to the role is a natural progression.
A match-winner par excellence, who delivers the goods when thrown with the most difficult of challenges, she has repeatedly emerged as a leader who you want to take charge of your side when you go into a challenging contest.
Whenever the team has looked in dire straits, she has provided that hope and spark. If history is too far then one can look at the most recent matches. A player who has been pushed down the batting order to accommodate others and not thrown the ball at all until the team ran out of options, she still led the way with her fielding skills to bring the team back into the contest against South Africa.
The aggression, the hunger to succeed, the in-your-face attitude might be the spark that the India women require in bringing about a seismic shift. Let's look at making the present better first before a possible future. A dangling present cannot be the base for a strong future.
Temperament and leadership skills are exhibited in the field of play and Harmanpreet has been the identified leader of this pack. By putting the cart before the horse again might leave a legacy of poor decision-making in the women's game.
There is no doubting that India has the talent pool and depth required to raise their game a notch or two. They have all it takes to win the big battles. But for that they need to change their approach. They can't be happy remaining the good losers, the perennial 'nearly there' team. The Indian women need to capture the big moments, come out winners in top events.
Mithali Raj is a quality player; period! A career of two decades should not be pushed away because of a collective team's failure. It is important for her to bat along to guide the present lot in the capacity of a senior player. Indian cricket has invested in her and Jhulan Goswami; time to utilise it while they remain in that dressing room.
(Anjum Chopra is a former captain of the Indian women's cricket team) This story has been published in arrangement with IANS.
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