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India cannot be a perennial ‘nearly there’ team; make Harmanpreet leader of the pack

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3 years ago

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Another World Cup, another loss. If not in the final, then in the semis. On this occasion, 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 India 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 to bowl on 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.

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International

CT 2025: India to take on Pakistan on Feb 23, likely to play in Colombo or Dubai: Sources

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1 day ago

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December 19, 2024

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New Delhi, Dec 19: The much-awaited clash between arch-rivals India and Pakistan in the Champions Trophy 2025 will be played on February 23 with Colombo and Dubai front-runners to play host for India’s matches in the tournament being played in hybrid format. The development comes after the ICC Board said that “India and Pakistan matches hosted by either country at ICC Events during the 2024-2027 rights cycle will be played at a neutral venue.”

“India will take on Pakistan at a neutral venue on February 23, 2025. ICC looking at Colombo and Dubai to host their matches.”

The Champions Trophy is scheduled to be played in February and March 2025. Meanwhile, ICC said the schedule for the marquee tournament will be confirmed in the coming days.

Pakistan are the defending champions of the tournament, having defeated India by 180 runs in the final at The Oval in 2017. Both teams last played against each other in the T20 World Cup in New York earlier this year which India won by six runs and went on to claim their second silverware in the format.

Due to the strained political relations between the two neighbouring countries, India and Pakistan only play each other in international events including World Cups and Asia Cup. The last bilateral series between India and Pakistan was held in 2012-13 when the latter toured India for the five-match white-ball series.

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International

It’s OFFICIAL! All India vs Pakistan Matches At ICC Events To Be Played At Neutral Venue Till 2027

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December 19, 2024

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India and Pakistan matches hosted by either country at ICC Events during the 2024-2027 rights cycle will be played at a neutral venue, the ICC Board confirmed on Thursday, 19 December. The schedule for the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 is set to be confirmed soon, with Pakistan aiming to defend the title they won in 2017.

The eight-team event will feature Afghanistan, Australia, Bangladesh, England, India, New Zealand, and South Africa, alongside hosts Pakistan.

This will apply to the upcoming ICC Men’s Champions Trophy 2025 (hosted by Pakistan), set to be played in February and March 2025, as well as the ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup 2025 (hosted by India) and the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 (hosted by India and Sri Lanka).

It was also announced that the PCB has been awarded hosting rights of the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup in 2028, where neutral venue arrangements will also apply. Cricket Australia is set to host one of the senior ICC women’s events during the period 2029 to 2031.

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‘Our dream is getting fulfilled’: Coach Sumit Bhatia elated to see Kho Kho going global

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4 days ago

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December 16, 2024

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New Delhi, Dec 16: Coach Sumit Bhatia is all pumped up for the first edition of the Kho Kho World Cup scheduled to take place from January 13-19, 2025. Bhatia, who holds a distinct record of being the only head coach to have won the Asian Championship twice, believes that this historical step is an indication of the realisation of the dream to take the sport to the international level and help it gain global recognition.

Having been honoured with the best coach award by the Delhi government, Bhatia has been a part of various Indian teams’ success, including the 2016 and 2023 Asian Kho Kho Championship victories, and has trained players like Nasreen Shaikh and Sarika Sudhakar Kale. Both of them have been Arjuna Awardees.

Nasreen, who is also a part of the World Cup camp, is the only player who has played in two Asian Championships and won the gold. The coach-student duo is now gearing up for the global event.

Sharing how the journey of Kho Kho World Cup’s inception, the coach said, “We organised an international camp here before COVID happened, in 2020. Coaches and players from 16 countries came here and we gave them training. Now they will be coming here for the World Cup but this campaign started in that camp”.

He further said, “Around 30-35 countries were willing to play the tournament but we picked the best 20 teams for both men and women. Some countries have single teams while some have double teams but a total of 24 countries will be participating in the tournament. It was our dream to take Kho Kho to the international level and now we can see that our dream is getting fulfilled.”

He also lauded the launch of the Ultimate Kho Kho League and shared how the franchise-based model has helped the players and coaches gain recognition, while also bringing forward grassroot talent.

“When the Ultimate Kho Kho league started, I also joined Telegu Yodhas as their head coach and we also played the final. Players have gotten exposure through the league and it’s not just financial. Earlier we used to hesitate while admitting being a Kho Kho coach but today our players introduce us as their coach,” said Bhatia.

He added, “The league got so much coverage that wherever we go, the players are approached for autographs. So the platform of the league started a new world for both coaches and players and now not just India but the entire world knows us. Earlier we used to tell people about our game but now they know what is Kho Kho and Ultimate Kho Kho league and are also waiting for the third season.”

Bhatia also discussed the impact of sports science on Kho Kho and lauded the newly introduced technology and said, “We have benefitted a lot from it. Sometimes we don’t understand why a player is not performing well. But with the introduction of sports science, we now know about the details of the problem.

“For example, a player might be facing issues with his left leg while sitting and so, it gives us an opportunity to work on that weakness… Sports science has helped us in identifying the accuracy and weakness of a player. So it’s very beneficial for us.”

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