"Not Just To Participate...": Former India Captain Anjum Chopra Gives Brutal 'Underprepared' Verdict On Harmanpreet Kaur-Led Side

Before the Indian team's departure to the UAE for the 2024 Women's T20 World Cup, skipper Harmanpreet Kaur claimed that the 15-member side was the best group ever playing the showpiece event in the shortest format. But all of it came crashing down when India lost to 58 runs by New Zealand in their tournament opener at Dubai and from there, they were just playing catch up till the writing on the wall came clear: of them suffering a group-stage exit in the T20 World Cups for the first time since 2016.

Former India captain Anjum Chopra said the side hasn't really found success in playing the shortest format, whether individually or as a whole unit, leading to their early exit from the T20 World Cup.

“I do feel that Indian team is a work in progress in terms of playing T20 cricket. They still haven't been able to crack that code individually and collectively as to how to play T20 cricket.”

“Certain players, starting with Harmanpreet Kaur, because she plays in the middle order or probably sometimes at the top order, she knows exactly when she has to pace the innings. But I can't say the same for everyone else. It's not just because they've lost in the World Cup. I've said these words even before that Indian team is a work in progress.”

“When they played their first match against New Zealand, I thought they were a little underprepared and possibly they didn't expect New Zealand to come hard at them, which is again very wrong. It's because when you're playing a World Cup, you have to expect every team that they are also in the World Cup scenario to win it, not just to participate. So that was wrong.”

“Then once that realisation happened when New Zealand started hitting the way they were attacking the ball, I felt the awareness