“She hit sixes into the 10th row” - Anjum Chopra explains reason behind lack of big-hitters in Indian women’s cricket

Former India women’s captain Anjum Chopra reckons that the team will need some time before they have proper big-hitters in the finishing role. She explained that the system will need to develop and groom such players, which is still a work in progress.

India women have been heavily dependent on Smriti Mandhana, Harmanpreet Kaur and the recently retired Mithali Raj to deliver with the bat in recent years. Opponents have been able to brush past the middle and lower order with ease on days when India's star batters haven’t performed.

During a Q&A session on her official YouTube channel, Chopra was asked why India women are not producing big-hitters who can do the finishing job for the team. She replied:

“It’s not like big-hitters are hiding somewhere and need to be pulled out. There was a lot of hype around Kiran Navgire before the Women’s T20 challenge, when she scored runs for Nagaland. Then, in her first batting stint (in the T20 challenge), she struck some meaty blows. She hit sixes into the 10th row of the stands.”

Chopra added about Kiran Navgire:

“We thought we had found a big-hitter. But she did not do well in the next game. Players do not develop overnight. We need to give them time. Big-hitting is a skill for which you need to create a base and then move to the next level.”

Navgire smashed an unbeaten 162 for Nagaland against Arunachal Pradesh earlier this year during the Women's Senior T20 Trophy. She thus became the first Indian man or woman to score over 150 runs in a T20 match.

The hard-hitting batter scored 69 off 34 for Velocity against the Trailblazers in the Women’s T20 challenge. She was dismissed for a 13-ball duck in the next game against the Supernovas.

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“This is a genuine concern with the Indian women’s team” - Anjum Chopra and middle and lower-order meltdown

During the discussion on her YouTube channel, Chopra admitted that India women will continue to find themselves in trouble unless they strengthen their middle and lower-order.

Answering a query over the same, the 45-year-old explained:

“India Women have been looking for players in the middle-order for a long time. Ones who can consolidate the innings. This is a genuine concern with the Indian women’s team. The team completely disintegrates when it comes to the middle and lower order. If we don’t get a good start, we are always playing catch-up.”

Chopra concluded that players who have been backed for the role need to be given both confidence and experience, stating:

“The likes of Pooja Vastrakar, Yastika Bhatia, Taniya Bhatia, Richa Ghosh, Deepti Sharma and Sneh Rana have been identified as middle and lower-order players. They need to play as many matches as possible and must be given exposure in the middle overs. The more they understand their game, it will benefit the players individually and the team as well.”

A shaky middle and lower order cost India women gold at the Commonwealth Games (CWG) 2022 cricket competition. Chasing 162 in the final against Australia women, they collapsed from 118 for two to 152 all out, losing the summit clash by nine runs.