India Women's side is 'zero' when it comes to fitness: Diana Edulji

Former India captain Diana Edulji has launched a brutal verbal attack on the current Indian Women’s side, as apart from being deeply critical of the team’s results, she’s claimed that the team is ‘zero’ when it comes to fitness.

It’s been a tough few months for the Indian Women’s side, with the team failing to make it to the semi-finals of the T20 World Cup in UAE before getting whitewashed 3-0 away in Australia in the recently-concluded ODI series.

Edulji, speaking to Times of India at an event at the Wankhede Stadium on December 13 (Friday), did not hold back as she tore into the senior Women’s side.

“I think that our players are ‘zero’ when it comes to fitness, which is why you see that they are getting injured so frequently,” Edulji said.

“Yastika Bhatia just came back into the team and got injured again. Priya Punia (opener) replaced Shafali Verma for the Australia tour, but got injured in the first ODI itself and couldn't play any further in the series. This reflects really poor fitness. And because the player aren't fit, their fielding and running between the wickets is really poor.”

She further stated that it’s high time all the senior players in the Women’s side were dropped. The former India skipper insisted that it’s better to lose with younger players, as they will learn from experience.

"The performance of our women’s team for the past few months has been thoroughly disappointing. Sadly, this is happening despite the BCCI providing our team with all the facilities which we lacked earlier, like good match fees and top-class hotels to stay in and first-class air travel,” Edulji said.

“I think it’s time that a young team is picked. If you have to lose, better to lose with younger players. At least, they will learn from the experience.”

Further, the former India skipper called for the BCCI to ban Indian players from participating in overseas T20 leagues. As many as six Indian players participated in the recently concluded Women’s Big Bash League edition, which was won by the Melbourne Renegades.

"Like in the case of men's cricket in India, the BCCI must bar our women players too from participating in these overseas T20 leagues. Now that you have the Women's Premier League, who do you want to play in the Women's Big Bash League or 'The Hundred?',” she questioned.

“Even if our players don't play in these overseas leagues, all the foreign players will still come to India to play in the WPL because they'll get good money. I mean, the same (Indian) players were playing well in the WBBL on the same grounds in Australia for almost the past couple of months, but have come up a cropper in this series.”

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