Prasad, Moody in fray to coach women’s team
New Delhi, Nov. 30: The BCCI on Friday invited applications, eyeing men of international stature, for the position of the Indian women’s team head coach, left vacant after a bitter public spat between the outgoing Ramesh Powar and senior player Mithali Raj.
Proven names such as Tom Moody, Dav Whatmore and Venkatesh Prasad are some of the options the Indian Cricket Board has at the moment, it is learnt from reliable sources in the Board.
It is understood that the BCCI doesn’t want a repeat of the the kind of bickering witnessed between Powar and star player Mithali following the Indian team’s semifinal exit from the ICC Women’s World T20 in the West Indies.
The Indian women’s team have had their fair share of controversies, and the latest one was triggered after Mithali was dropped from the playing XI for the World T20 semifinal, which the side lost to England by eight wickets. Mithali alleged that Powar was “out to destroy her” while the coach countered her by questioning the “conduct” of the team’s seniormost player, saying that she threatened to retire on being denied the opening slot and threw tantrums.
Powar, a former India offspinner, was appointed in August after Tushar Arothe quit following differences with the senior players over training methods. This was his first major international coaching assignment.
One of the requirements listed by the BCCI is that the candidate should have the experience of coaching an international team for a period of minimum one season or a T20 franchise for minimum two seasons.
People like Moody, a former Australia all-rounder, fulfil the criteria. While Prasad has worked with the Indian cricket team bowlers before joining the Kings XI Punjab setup, Whatmore has guided Sri Lanka to their only ODI World Cup triumph back in 1996. The BCCI requirements state the candidate should have “a proven ability to manage and interact with people from different backgrounds and cultures, should have represented India or any other country at international level or should be a NCA Level ‘C’ certified coach or have a similar certification from a reputed organisation/institute and a minimum of 50 FC games”.
The interview of the candidates will be held on December 20 at the BCCI headquarters in Mumbai. The appointment will be a full time engagement and the contract term is for two years with age limit of 60 years.