‘Any actor would enjoy playing me’

Iwish the Indian women’s cricket team become world champions and remain consistent at the top level,” says Anjum Chopra (right), former captain of the Indian women’s cricket team. She adds that it can only be achieved if a “good systematic process” is in place in the country.

On her birthday today, Anjum shares her fondest birthday memory: “Last year at the IPL, I got to celebrate [my birthday] with over 30,000 people at the ground in Raipur. Our producer and director wished me, while I was on doing commentary. They made me cut a cake during my commentary stint and showed it on the big screen.” Apart from leading India to its first ever Test series win in South Africa in 2002, she also has another feat to her credit — in 2016, she became the first Indian woman cricketer to get the lifetime Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) membership.

In her journey as a cricketer, she had to overcome a lot of hurdles: “Challenges were immense right from the start. The biggest being balancing studies and sports. Fortunately, nowadays more educational institutions encourage sport,” says Anjum, who is also writing a book about her journey.

According to Anjum, in any sport “physical training is extremely essential”. Her advice to the budding sportspersons is: “Don’t take shortcuts because training sets you up for bigger challenges in the field. It helps in skill enhancement and helps you become mentally strong too.”

Asked who would she like to portray her part, if a biopic is made on her? “I’m sure whoever decides to take up the challenge of portraying my character on screen will certainly enjoy the role,” she says.