Mithali Raj confident of India qualifying for 2017 World Cup

India had a chance to directly qualify for the World Cup if a series against Pakistan, which was supposed to be played maximum by October 2016, as per schedule, had taken place. According to rules laid out by ICC, the top four teams at the end of ICC Championship gets a direct entry into the World Cup tournament. But no word was given by the BCCI whether the series will take place and Indian team lost out on six ICC Championship points that were meant for the series.

“We were supposed to contest a series with Pakistan, but I don’t think it’s happening. So we are likely to be going through qualifiers. It would be like a tryout before the main tournament,” Raj said.

Former Indian captain and retired cricketer Anjum Chopra has also shown confidence in the new Indian team and said that despite the hiccups, India should definitely qualify.

“It does not matter if it is difficult or not, it is the rules laid out by the ICC, so we have to go through playoffs. But India should definitely qualify for the World Cup,” the veteran said.

Change of captaincy in T20s

The team management recently decided to try out different captains for different formats with Harmanpreet Kaur replacing Mithali Raj as the captain in upcoming T20 series against West Indies and for Asia Cup. Raj has been retained as the captain for the One-day internationals series against West Indies. Talking about the shift in leadership roles, Raj said that it will be good for the team as the management is planning for the future.

“I might not be part of the team setup when we play T20 World Cup in 2019. So it will be good for the team to groom someone new for the role of the captain and give them the experience of the responsibilities that comes along with it,” Raj said.

The change in the team set up is believed to be prompted by India’s poor showing at the T20 World Cup at home in March this year. With only one win and three losses, India failed to even clear the group stages.

Raj also expressed that with the burden of captaincy off her shoulders, she could play a ‘free hand’ in the upcoming Asia Cup. “T20 is a format where you can let loose. I can play freely now that I will not be loaded with the responsibility of the captain, but as a senior player, I will be expected to help out the team in any and every way possible,” she said.

Harmanpreet has captained India before in three ODIs and six T20Is. The last time she captained the side for the entire tournament was four years ago against Bangladesh as Raj was rested for the series. In spite of her limited experience as captain at international level, Raj believes Kaur will be up for the challenge.

“Even though Kaur has led team in the domestic set-up, we still have to see how she handles the pressure of managing the team at international level against tougher oppositions. But she is a really strong player and will be up for the challenge,” Raj said.