Former India captain Anjum Chopra commended the BCCI’s strategic approach towards women’s cricket development. She highlighted the significance of the shadow women’s ‘A’ tour in parallel with the Women’s T20 World Cup campaign in England and recent coaching appointments at the Centre of Excellence (CoE).
Anushka Sharma, who recently debuted in T20Is, will lead India ‘A’ in three T20 matches against England ‘A’. The fixtures are scheduled for June 20 and 23 in Northampton, followed by a match in Chelmsford on June 25. Harleen Deol will captain the team in the upcoming one-dayers starting on June 28 in Hove and Taunton.
Deeya Yadav, a 16-year-old talent previously with the Delhi Capitals, has been selected for the T20 squad. Anjum emphasized the value of these shadow tours, providing exposure and experience to promising players like Nikki Prasad, Anushka Sharma, and Shabnam Shakil in international cricket settings.
The squads feature G. Kamalini, Uma Chetry, and Vaishnavi Sharma as wicketkeeper-batters, with Pratika Rawal as vice-captain for the 50-over games. Vrinda Dinesh will serve as Anushka’s deputy in the T20 matches. Anjum expressed optimism about the abundant opportunities for women cricketers due to the structured planning of tours and shadow matches.
Anjum also lauded the inclusion of former India players Nooshin Al Khadeer, Sunetra Paranjpe, and Vanitha VR in the CoE setup. These appointments are seen as a timely and deserved move to enhance the coaching system, especially with the U19 women’s team gearing up for games against Sri Lanka in June and July.
