New Delhi: India’s primary objective at the upcoming Women’s Asia Cup will be to lift the title they narrowly missed out on last time, but the tournament also doubles as a critical fine-tuning platform for the ICC Champions Trophy in February, says former India captain Anjum Chopra.
Seven-time winners India suffered defeat in the 2024 edition final to eventual champions Sri Lanka in Dambulla. The Harmanpreet Kaur-led side will begin their Group A campaign on August 30 against Thailand, and will later take on Hong Kong China and arch-rivals Pakistan respectively.
With India suffering a second straight early exit from the T20 World Cup earlier this year, the Asia Cup becomes a critical trophy to reclaim, even as the inaugural Champions Trophy in February already occupies a corner in the Indian team management’s thinking.
“The outlook is obviously going to be to win the title, because they missed the chance of winning it last time around. Sri Lanka played really well in the last final - in fact, they played the entire tournament very well. That’s why I was surprised when they landed at the T20 World Cup in the UAE and were completely all over the place. I was very surprised looking at that performance; I think they didn’t win a single match.
“So, the outlook for the Indian team will obviously be to win the championship. But lining up towards the ICC Champions Trophy in February, they would also want to understand their combination and how that setup, which hasn’t changed much from the World Cup in England, will move in the direction of the Champions Trophy in Sri Lanka,” Anjum told IANS in an exclusive conversation on Wednesday.
Her message for the Indian team, which is largely unchanged from the 2026 T20 World Cup squad (barring omission of Yastika Bhatia and injuries to Jemimah Rodrigues and Shreyanka Patil), is very simple as they prepare to play at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium.
“You have to play to your optimum skill level and never take any opposition lightly. If India wins the toss, they should go out and bat those 20 overs in a manner that showcases their skill level, regardless of what the opposition offers.
“You need to test what you’ve practiced in a match scenario. It’s an international match at the end of the day, so players should use this chance not just to win, but to evaluate their own preparation and identify what needs work.”
Teams like England and South Africa have included fringe players and newbies for their upcoming bilateral assignments against Ireland and Zimbabwe respectively. Asked if India should look to try youngsters in their home white-ball series against Zimbabwe, set to happen in October, Anjum felt the Asia Cup and the Asian Games were the ideal testing grounds for fringe players.
“The process should have started with this Asia Cup itself. I’m not saying don’t send your core players, but it’s not difficult to see who is on loose footing. It’s unfair to them that the Indian team hasn’t given those opportunities on a consistent basis. I say that very openly for Bharti Fulmali, who hasn’t gotten a consistent run, and for Renuka Singh Thakur, who hasn’t been a regular feature in the playing eleven.
“The Asian Games and Asia Cup were the right places to try players. You had an opportunity to take players who have been around the setup. But now, you’ve picked another player to bat at number three who is nowhere around the T20 circuit. If the thinking is just to fill a spot, that’s surprising.
“Bharti Fulmali was given a chance, but hasn’t grabbed it fully - do they want to give her more of a run? Renuka Singh Thakur has struggled over the past year to stay in the playing eleven, yet she is in both squads and will likely be on the team for Zimbabwe too. So, the clarity needs to be there with everyone around - not just the selectors, with even the players, the captain, the vice-captain and everyone around to understand what is it that we have been lacking? “What is it that we were lacking in the recent tournament and what are we trying to strengthen or build so that all of it is there when we get to the Champions Trophy? We have at least 10 matches given to these players before we ourselves are confident of taking them towards a Champions Trophy because there is a tour to South Africa as well. (IANS)
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