'You have to have that balance' - Anjum Chopra analyzes importance of having balance of youth and experience in Indian team

Fans are scratching their heads after India recently succumbed to their second consecutive World Test Championship final defeat to Australia. How should coach Rahul Dravid fix the issue with the team in the knockouts of ICC tournaments? Experts have raised several questions and suggested various solutions. However, the jinx in ICC knockouts just doesn't seem to let go.

Former India cricketer Anjum Chopra was recently asked in an interview with News18 CricketNext if the underfiring senior players should make way for youngsters. Chopra stressed the importance of balancing youth and experience. She explained that youngsters will take the same time the seniors took early on in their careers.

It is to be noted that the experienced Cheteshwar Pujara has been one of the major disappointments for India as of late. He has scored just 181 runs in eight innings in 2023, at an average of 25.85. In the WTC final, Pujara scored 14 and 27 in the first and second innings, respectively. 

"It’s been a discussion and a debate that will never die. Do we not need experience, do we not youth, how do we balance… and the common statement is the balance between youth and experience. You can’t say, “Thank you very much. We’ve had you for over the years but now we don’t need you. We’ve got youth coming in.” The youth will also take the same amount of time that an experienced player had taken to be there. If you think it’s that easy, then you would run the country with youngsters around and not many experienced guys.

"So, I don’t think that really works. You have to have that balance. Yes, you will have young players coming through – Shubman has come through, and so did Shardul and Siraj. The younger lot will keep coming through. It’s all about taking those opportunities and delivering at the right time. And if you talk about experience, Cheteshwar Pujara has been playing in England for the last three months through the season. So, who faltered, and what went wrong, a lot of things can be discussed," Anjum Chopra said. 

'It has to change' - Anjum Chopra hopes India's men's and women's teams will soon be able to change their fortunes in ICC events

In recent years, the senior men's and women's teams have faltered in crucial knockout games in ICC events. Chopra hopes that the rub of the green will soon go India's way.

"It has to change. You don’t want to continue with the trend of losing ICC events. For us, it has gone very long. From 1983 to 2011 was a huge gap. Meanwhile, we had a 2007 and then we got an Under-19 Women’s ICC trophy which is good. As a former player and broadcaster, obviously, I would want this trend to change. I’m hoping that it changes faster than it was when the men won the world cup. The women haven’t won it yet," she added.