Anjum Chopra assesses team India’s balance in Rishabh Pant’s absence as a “massive loss.”

Anjum Chopra, a former India women’s cricketer, commented on the men’s team’s performance at the recent ICC World Test Championship (WTC) final. The Indian batting order laboured against the Australian bowling attack, resulting in a humiliating 209-run loss in the championship match at the Oval in London.

During the crucial Test match, India faltered in both the batting and bowling departments. India was only able to score 296 runs in their second inning after conceding 469 runs to Australia in their first. Australia then declared at 270/8 and bowled out India for 234 runs to win the championship.

Chopra was asked in an exclusive interview with News 18 if Pant’s absence was a significant factor for India in the one-off Test. She responded that Pant was a significant loss for the team but praised keeper-batsman KS Bharat, noting that he was outstanding behind the wickets. She continued by stating that it is inappropriate to compare Bharat’s batting performance in the format to Pant’s.

“He is evidently a colossal failure. But let’s not be unjust to KS Bharat. I believed he maintained an excellent standard of conduct. This was his primary responsibility, and he performed it admirably. If we say that we must rely on his batting because we didn’t have the kind of performance that Rishabh Pant could provide the team, then I believe we are looking at it incorrectly,” said Anjum Chopra.

Anjum Chopra criticises the performance of India’s batsmen in the WTC final.

The former cricketer-turned-commentator criticised India’s batters, stating that the team is intended to have a top order that bats and a middle order that supports. The 46-year-old continued by stating that if someone perceives things backwards, they have an incorrect perspective. The sooner Pant returns, the better for him and for everyone else, she stated.

“We have a top-order that is expected to bat, a middle-order that is expected to support, and a lower-order that is only expected to assist. If you read something upside-down, you are reading it incorrectly. However, Rishabh is a quality player, and the sooner he returns, the better for him, supporters like me, and everyone else,” the former cricketer added.