Powar returns as women’s team head coach

SOON AFTER THE 2018 WORLD CUP, POWAR WAS REMOVED. CONTROVERSY REVEALED DEEPER RIFTS IN THE TEAM AS T20 CAPTAIN HARMANPREET KAUR AND SMRITI MANDHANA WROTE APPEALS TO BCCI TO REINSTATE POWAR AS COACH

CHANDIGARH/MUMBAI: The appointment of former India spinner Ramesh Powar as India women’s cricket team head coach came as a surprise on Thursday after the Cricket Advisory Committee (CAC) chose him for the post, replacing WV Raman.

The CAC, comprising Madan Lal and Sulakshna Naik, interviewed eight candidates for the post, before picking Mumbaibased Powar.

The 42-year-old Powar was the head coach of the team in 2018 before he and ODI captain Mithali Raj became embroiled in a public spat.

The fight began after Raj was dropped from the T20 World

Cup semi-final against England, a match that India eventually lost.

What followed was a saga of leaked emails and notes from team meetings, Twitter rants, accusations and counter-accusations and a letter from Raj to BCCI detailing alleged “discriminatory” and “humiliating” behaviour that she faced from Powar during the World Cup.

Powar retaliated, accusing Raj of “putting her interest first” instead of the team’s.

Soon after the World Cup ended, Powar was removed from his position. The controversy revealed deeper rifts in the team too, as T20 captain Harmanpreet Kaur and vicecaptain Smriti Mandhana wrote fervent appeals to the BCCI to reinstate Powar as coach.

Not much has changed since then, so Powar will begin his second stint as the India Women’s coach with Raj as the ODI captain and Kaur the T20 captain.

“All of us in the committee felt Ramesh Powar was the best candidate and it was a unanimous choice,” Madan Lal, BCCI Cricket Advisory Committee head, said. “As far as him working together with Mithali Raj is concerned, there should not be any problem. Mithali’s job as a captain is to focus on her role and she should work to take the team forward.”

Raj is also expected to be announced captain of the India’s Test team against England. That may become the first assignment for the captain-coach duo, when India plays a Test match on June 16, after a gap of seven years, followed by an ODI and a T20 series.

“If they want India to do well, both will have to work together and play to win and see that Indian women’s cricket remains on the forefront,” said Diana Edulji, former member of BCCI’s committee of administrators (COA). “I wish Ramesh the best for the future.”

Edulji too was embroiled when the Raj-Powar controversy was playing out. Raj had accused Edulji of using her position against her and in favour of Powar in her letter to the BCCI.

After Powar’s exit, Raman was appointed as the new coach and while the team reached the T20 World Cup final in Australia last year, the team has otherwise not had much success under his reign.

Powar, who led Mumbai to a dominating win at the Vijay Hazare Trophy this year as head coach, will also look after Women’s India A and Women’s India U-19 teams.