Anjum Chopra remained modest in the wake of her reappointment as captain of the Indian women's cricket team, after an interval of close to nine years, admitting that the task ahead of her would be challenging.
“It feels nice,” she said here on Sunday, as the team's two-week preparatory camp ahead of its tour to the West Indies concluded.
“It's a great job the selectors have bestowed upon me and I humbly accept it. I'm humbled by the faith shown in me. But it comes with a lot of responsibility. Leading the side anywhere is a challenge.”
The Indian team will play five T20 internationals and three ODIs in the Caribbean, starting on February 18.
“The West Indies are a good team and we're prepared,” Anjum said. “We have a great mix of youth and experience. We have a couple of new faces. The first target is the West Indies tour. Then we all know there are World Cups both home and away coming up. We're moving towards that.”
Asked what she felt about people inferring from her appearances on TV that she had hung her boots up, the 34-year-old said: “I've never been away from cricket. I've never forgotten the fact that I'm doing commentary because I'm a cricketer. I never went away from playing the sport. Since I've been doing TV for almost 10 years, people think I've retired. ‘You're still playing?' they ask. I don't know why that happens. And I can't be worried about what people think.”
Coach Anju Jain reckoned the tour would be a good assignment for India ahead of September's T20 World Cup.
“It's definitely going to be a good series. Last time, when they were here, the games were pretty close. The West Indies have improved a lot in the last year or so. There will be good competition. The T20 World Cup and the 50-over World Cups are coming up. So the scheduling of this series is pretty much ideal.”
The team is scheduled to fly out from New Delhi on February 14.
