After his last stint ended abruptly in a fallout with Mithali Raj, Ramesh Powar returned as India Women’s coach replacing WV Raman. Powar regained the position more than two years after he was sacked after a bitter fallout with ODI captain Mithali Raj in 2018.
Powar was chosen by the Cricket Advisory Committee, comprising Madan Lal, RP Singh and Sulakshana Naik, who interviewed eight candidates, including Raman. The other applicants were Hrishikesh Kanitkar, Ajay Ratra, Mamtha Maben, Devika Palshikar, former chair of selectors Hemlatha Kala, and former assistant coach Suman Sharma.
“The BCCI announces the appointment of Mr Ramesh Powar as the Head Coach of Team India (Senior Women). The BCCI had advertised for the post and received over 35 applications,” a BCCI release stated.
The CAC member, Madan Lal asserted that the committee chose Powar for his clear vision for the team.
“He has been coaching for a while. His vision for the team impressed us the most. He has a clear cut plan for the team, what he wants do with it to take it to the next level. He also has full clarity on all aspects of the game. Now he needs to deliver on that,”
Lal told PTI.
Former India batsman, Raman handled the situation with grace and professionalism as he wished Powar the best for his tenure.
It remains to be seen if Ramesh Powar and Mithali Raj can get along this time around. Powar’s first stint with India women ended acrimoniously as Raj and the coach hurled accusations at each other in the aftermath of India’s semi-finals exit from 2018 T20 World Cup. Mithali had written to the BCCI after the event, alleging that Powar “was out to destroy and humiliate” her while Powar had hit back stating that Mithali “threw a lot of tantrums and created chaos in the team”.
After his sacking, Powar proved himself as a coach, first working at National Cricket Academy and with India A sides, and later taking over as the coach of the Mumbai team in February 2021. Under his command, Mumbai turned things around to dominate their way to the Vijay Hazare Trophy title after a shambolic Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy where they lost four out of five matches.
Powar’s first assignment will be the tour of England, where India women are set to play their first Test match in seven years on June 16. His major challenge will be to prepare the team for the ODI World Cup in New Zealand next year.
Powar played 2 Tests and 31 ODIs for India from 2004 to 2007, picking 40 international wickets. His domestic career spanned from 1999 to 2015, as an off-spinning all-rounder. He took 470 first-class wickets while also amassing 4245 first-class runs in 148 games. He also featured in 113 List A and 28 T20 matches.
Under Raman, India made it to the final of the T20 World Cup in 2020, losing to Australia on March 8. With the pandemic wreaking havoc worldwide, the team didn’t play any international cricket until their home series against South Africa Women earlier this year. India lost both the series against South Africa – the ODIs by 1-4, and the T20Is by 1-2. The losses brought Raman’s position under scrutiny.
