"We’re all scratching our heads in India" - Lisa Sthalekar on lack of clarity from Indian selectors for Bangladesh tour selection

Former Australia women's captain Lisa Sthalekar pointed out the lack of communication from Indian selectors regarding the thought process behind the women's team selection for the Bangladesh tour last month.

There were a few notable omissions from the white-ball squad which featured in the 2023 Women's T20 World Cup in South Africa in February. The Indian selectors neither issued a press release nor did they hold a press conference to explain why they dropped or picked certain individuals.

In an exclusive interview with Sportstar, Sthalekar cited the selection difference observed between India and Australia. She said:

"The difference that I have noticed between India and the Australian cricket team is that if there’s a change in the Australian squad, there’s a media release with the chair of selectors stating the reason why a particular player is not selected or if there are other reasons to it."

She added:

"I don’t know if I’ve missed a report, but in India, we’re all scratching our heads over why is it that this person is in, or where is such and such and where is the other player? Whereas I know following Australian cricket, it’s easy for a broadcaster because I know who’s injured, who’s not available, who’s taken personal leave. Everything is stipulated nicely so everyone knows where everyone fits."

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"There was constant rotation of players" - Lisa Sthalekar

Pace bowlers Renuka Singh Thakur, Shikha Pandey, and wicketkeeper-batter Richa Ghosh were excluded from the Harmanpreet Kaur-led squad for all six white-ball matches in Bangladesh.

Meanwhile, prodigious player Shreyanka Patil was ignored despite her staggering show in both ACC Women's Teams Emerging Asia Cup and Women's Premier League.

Priya Punia, who last played an ODI game in 2021, replaced Shafali Verma in the first two matches. However, low scores of 10 and 7 meant Shafali was back in the opener's slot. All-rounder Sneh Rana wasn't part of the T20I series but did play all three ODI matches.

Speaking on the rotation of the Indian women's team players in the Bangladesh tour, Sthalekar said:

"In Bangladesh, there was a slight change in team and there was constant rotation of players, which I would only imagine is quite disruptive. As a player, I enjoyed having a core group of players together because you’re working towards a certain style. So, I think Bangladesh probably surprised them a little bit. They didn’t play their best cricket and they got found out. There’s nothing wrong with that, but they’ve got to learn from that experience."

She added:

"I’d like to think moving forward, they make sure that they (India) have their best team on the park and that they find other ways to blood the new players in - maybe in an India A tour or whatever. I don’t know what goes on in the Indian women’s side. I only look from afar and they seem to get it together whenever they play Australia, but against other teams they may falter slightly."

India women's team will next be in action during the 2023 Asian Games in Hangzhou, China, in September.