‘Shafali should have been in the ODI team as well'
Chandigarh: Over a career spanning two decades, Jhulan Goswami established a legend whose absence Indian cricket is still struggling to fill. The lanky pacer from Kolkata was India's main pace bowler and led the bowling attack in 204 ODIs, 68 T20Is and 12 Tests. In this photograph taken on January 15, 2020, 16-year-old cricket player Shafali Verma trains at an indoor net inside a stadium in Rohtak in the northern Indian state of Haryana. - Shafali Verma once disguised herself as her brother to play in a cricket series, and went on to win "man of the match and series". Now the teen sensation wants to help win the women's Twenty20 World Cup for India. (Photo by Money SHARMA / AFP) / TO GO WITH Cricket-IND-Shafali by Faisal KAMAL (AFP)
Since her retirement, Jhulan has been associated with Cricket Association of Bengal working for women's cricket and also as a mentor at Mumbai Indians team in Women's T20 Premier League (WPL).
Ahead of the India tour of England, where they are scheduled to play a T20I and ODI series, the 42-year-old speaks about how the fielding needs to pick up, why Shafali Verma would have made a difference to the ODI team and the impact of Harmanpreet Kaur's captaincy.
With opener Shafali Verma making a comeback in the India T20 team, how crucial will this be for her and the team?
Shafali has done well for her state Haryana and also for Delhi Capitals and her call-up to the Indian team is well deserved. I am sure she was hungry to make this comeback and leave a mark. Her strokeful batting not only helped her make an impact but will also help India get good starts. She has been great at the top with Smriti for India in the past and her good form will elevate India's chances in the T20I series. She has played in England before and done well. I am sure she will adjust well to the conditions.
Wouldn't it be right to include Shafali in the ODI team as well may be against Australia at home ahead of the World Cup?
Definitely, when she made her India debut at 15, she surprised everyone with her talent. Hitting established bowlers out of the ground with ease. And she has regained her form to earn the call-up. But I feel she should have been in the ODI team as well against England. She has that X-factor and should have been there in the India ODI team as well. She is an impactful player whose innings in any format can change the course of the match.
With Pooja Vastrakar, Renuka Thakur and Kashvee Gautam missing out, will the lack of experience hurt India?
It is unfortunate that some quick bowlers are injured for the series in England and doing their rehab. England have some quality and experienced batters in their team. Renuka has done well in England before and her missing out is a huge loss for India. At the same time, it is a great chance for the youngsters to grab the chance. Amanjot has progressed well since her comeback in the Indian team with her bowling.
So what would be India's strength in English conditions?
Indian batting looks rock solid and having batters like Smriti Mandhana, Harmanpreet Kaur and Jemimah Rodrigues along with Richa Ghosh and Deepti Sharma is great. They need to take more responsibility and play a key role in India's success against the hosts.
Since you have left, no medium-pacer has made a lasting impact...
It is not that since I quit the game quality medium-pacers have not surfaced. Unfortunately, injuries have put them down and they have taken a long time to recover. I think these days it is very easy to plan one's cricket routine as cricket calendars are now available. Bowlers can plan accordingly and be very professional about the process. They need to prepare well for big matches or series and give priority to fitness.
India has had issues in catching and ground fielding in recent years. How can this be dealt with?
I believe Indian fielding has improved in recent years. Fielders like Radha Yadav and Jemimah are perfect examples of sharp fielders. But, yes, they need to put in more effort and make it top-notch if they consistently want to win against teams like Australia, England or even South Africa. It is relatively a young team and they should put more effort into mastering catching and fielding.
You have seen Harmanpreet Kaur closely since she made her debut and also at the Mumbai Indians dressing room in the WPL. How would you rate her as a captain and a batter?
She has been a great leader and inspiring too. I have seen young players coming up to her and seek her advice about their game. MI winning two WPL titles says it all for her captaincy as well as her batting swagger. Her innings 171* against Australia way back in 2017 was a great one but such knocks do not happen often. I feel she might not have recreated a similar amount of hysteria but she has won many matches for India and I know how passionate she is about winning matches for the country. I think the fact that India has not won any ICC trophy under her captaincy mostly leads to this debate. Her work ethic is phenomenal and we need to back her to win ICC trophies.
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