‘Indian women’s cricketers have to improve fitness’, Aakash Chopra advises:Experts back Harmanpreet despite T20 World Cup failure

Team India’s campaign at the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2026 might have come to an end under the leadership of Harmanpreet Kaur. It happened after Women in Blue’s six-wicket defeat to Australia at Lord’s. Despite the heartbreak, cricket experts Aakash Chopra and Anjum Chopra backed captain Harman, although they acknowledged the team needs to address some issues. While speaking on JioStar’s ‘Adidas Match Centre Live’, cricket experts Aakash Chopra and Anjum Chopra discussed decision lapses in India vs Australia group stage matchup, whether Harmanpreet Kaur should continue as Captain of the T20I side, and the key areas of improvement going forward. Women in Blue must focus on fitness Speaking about what lies ahead for the Indian women’s team and where there is room for improvement, Aakash Chopra said, “One area where Indian women’s cricket will have to improve is fitness, and this format, especially, highlights that aspect. If you want to compete against Australia, South Africa and New Zealand in the shortest format, you’ll have to be a lot fitter.” “In the longer formats, you can still stay relevant because of your skill and craft, but when it comes to T20s, which is a dynamic format, your fielding, how well you cover the ground, and how far you can hit the ball matter a lot more. This team has a lot of upside and the potential to create history, so if they have to conquer the world, by the time the next World Cup arrives, everyone should look absolutely fit and hungry.” ‘Best captain to lead India’: Anjum Chopra on Harmanpreet despite decision lapses Australia. While speaking to JioStar, Anjum Chopra pointed out many judgment errors from the India vs Australia Women’s T20 World Cup group stage match. Yet, she acknowledged that Harmanpreet Kaur is the best captain to lead India. She said, “I don’t think any other player is ready for captaincy at this point. If we start talking about areas to work on, from captaincy to batting to bowling, it will be a long list of homework. The most important focus area should be the approach needed for the T20 format. We only see it in its full glory in the WPL. As soon as they come back to the Indian team, they go into their shell again.” She suggested that players go full throttle and even urged management to find out players who can consistently play at high-stakes tournaments without any fear. Mistakes that India women made against Australia in T20 WC 1. ‘170 was below the part total against Australia’: Anjum Chopra Further pointing out India’s weaknesses in the Australia group clash in the Women’s T20 World Cup 2026, Anjum said, “Firstly, the runs on the board were not enough. 170 is a good total, but against Australia, in basically a World Cup knockout, it was slightly below par. Then you have to back it up with early wickets. Against a team like Australia, one or two wickets won’t cut it. To choke a team like Australia, you have to score those extra runs so that your bowlers have some cushion.” She further added that Richa Ghosh should have been sent in by the 17th over. Since she was not sent one over earlier, the team didn’t get the finishing kick. Moreover, the Indian team also dealt with the issue of the fifth bowler. 2. ‘Lack of clarity in terms of batting positions’: Anjum Chopra Anjum Chopra also slammed the absence of clarity regarding batting positions in the Indian team. She mentioned that it was already known that Women in Blue did not have bowling as their strength and rather carried firepower in the batting. However, the team did not field the batters at the position where they needed to be. Yastika Bhatia’s no.3 spot was uncertain; Jemimah Rodrigues was sent down the order despite batting at number 3 in the England series. Meanwhile, Richa Ghosh was not utilised at the number four spot to the best of her abilities. 3. Aakash Chopra questions the timing of retiring out Jemimah Speaking on JioStar’s ‘Adidas Match Centre Live’, expert Aakash Chopra also pointed out the same issue as Anjum Chopra, that is, the timing of getting Jemimah Rodrigues retired out. He thought that the captain and coach could have done it earlier and brought in Richa Ghosh early. That would have helped India dominate in death overs.