Interview

Anjum Chopra is undoubtedly one of the most stylish batswomen in the Indian team. Being a left hander adds more grace to her presence at the crease. A-no nonsense cricketer, Chopra learnt her cricket in India's capital, Delhi. Learning to play in conditions where every member of the team had to fight to hold their place, Chopra can be a picture of determination if she gets well set. Having played in matches and coaching camps with men cricketers, Chopra knows a thing or two about handling pressure situations. With a couple of good knocks already under her belt in the CricInfo Women's World Cup, the Indian vice-captain is hungry to make her presence felt in the semifinals. On the eve of the World Cup, Anjum Chopra caught up with Anand Vasu for an exclusive interview:

AV: You must be pretty excited about the World Cup that's coming up. How much are you thinking about it?

AC: I definitely am very excited about the World Cup and we are all gearing up for the tournament. We all hope that India does exceedingly well in the tournament and we will try getting the trophy to India.

AV: You played in the 1997 World Cup but could not make much of a mark then. You are a much more experienced player now and have a limited overs hundred under your belt. How is this World Cup different from the last one?

AC: I definitely have more experience now than in 1997. In that regard I am looking forward to this World Cup and am looking forward to doing well. I'm hoping to get good scores, and if I bowl, I'll be looking to pick wickets. I will be trying to put up a good performance that will help my team.

AV: Batting in Indian conditions is one thing. However, in New Zealand there is going to be a lot of assistance for the mediumpacers. The ball will swing and seam considerably. Are you worried about this?

AC: Absolutely not. Here in India we have been playing against the boys quite a bit. We have also played on some well prepared turf wickets where the ball does come up a bit. By playing against the boys we have got used to playing good pace attacks. We have taken precautions to counter the pace we will be up against at the international level. We are also playing against the spinners here and are prepared to face both forms of bowling.

AV: Some people are of the opinion that India are lacking in the medium pace department in that we don't have anyone who is genuinely quick. You started off as a medium pacer, what do you have to say about that?

AC: I would have to agree that we don't have any genuinely quick bowlers. The medium pacers we have concentrate more on bowling a good line and length and getting the ball to swing. I guess that is more important at the international level. You might have the pace and still get clobbered all over the park. If you are a shade slower and have good control over your bowling, that is what is really needed in this form of the game.

AV: Who would you say are India's biggest opponents in the forthcoming CricInfo Women's World Cup 2000?

AC: We will have to watch for all teams. I'd like to look at each match as a new day and a new beginning. Naturally the strongest contenders are Australia, England and New Zealand. I would rate these three teams as better than the others, but I wouldn't take any team lightly, whether it's South Africa or Sri Lanka.

AV: How is the coming tournament different for you, being the vice captain of the team?

AC: Having the vice-captaincy under my belt has given me a boost. It has given me a lot more to look forward to. I am looking forward to the tournament and am really excited about it.

AV: Are there any specific players you are looking out for in the World Cup?

AC: From Australia, we are looking out for Belinda Clark, the all rounder, Cathryn Fitzpatrick, the bowler and the leg spinner Olivia Magno. They are all good cricketers. When we play against them we will mark them out. Against England we will watch out for Charlotte Edwards. Clare Connor is a good spinner. We have a few players marked out. Let's see how we play against them.

AV: India has not done very well in the World Cup competitions. We did get close last time but could not seal it. What are you going to do differently this time around?

AC: The last World Cup was unfortunate for us. The first game against Sri Lanka was washed out, we then tied with New Zealand. Again we were penalised two overs in the game against Australia and that proved to be very costly for us. This time we have worked on a few strategies, we have a gameplan for each team. The cricketing manager, the coach and the captain have all discussed it and we will use whatever is the best combination on the day.

AV: Thank you very much for speaking with us. We wish you all the best both as opening bat and vice-captain.

AC: Thank you, Anand.

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