So when Chopra was named the Indian women’s captain ahead of their tour to West Indies, after she showed sparkling form on the domestic circuit, nothing seemed out of place. Considering the respect she enjoys in the Indian dressing room, the 15-year long international experience and her present form, not many eye brows were raised when she replaced Jhulan Goswami as skipper. With an old hand returning back to take charge, new ball bowler Goswami can now concentrate on making life difficult for rival batswomen.

Speaking about her hanging the boots and returning to the cricket field after a brief break Chopra said, “After playing for the country for 15 years, I felt the urge to take the game to the next level and popularise it. I have even created a blueprint for promoting women’s cricket globally.”

Anjum also underlined that comeback was always on her mind: “Having maintained my fitness, I was keen to return to cricket. My colleagues, friends, DDCA were always behind me. Moreover, my love for the game had reached beyond everything in the past two years.”

The stylish batswoman was bullish about India’s chances at the start of a hectic season. Following the West Indies, the team will play a series at home against Australia, the T20 World Championship at Sri Lanka and the World Cup at home in 2013. “We will take one step at a moment. During the West Indies tour we will have a chance to assess the mental strength and skill sets of the players. Most importantly, me and other senior players in the team need to mentor the juniors. We have some brilliant naturally talented players, but there is a need to handle them carefully,” she says.

The national team’s fielding coach Munish Bali is of the view that with Chopra at the helm, the team has got an in-house motivational speaker. “Anjum keeps talking about her experiences with the younger lot. She motivates the youngsters to set high standards. I think if the present lot is groomed for the World Cup, India will be a tough team to beat. When you see such a senior player going out of the way to perform and excel, others get inspired.”

At the start of the long and tough journey, Chopra has a destination in mind. “I have a dream to emulate what Indian men did last year... win the World Cup at home. We want to do the same and that process has started.”