Former India off-spinner Ramesh Powar has been appointed India women’s cricket team coach, returning for a second time in the role after his earlier stint had ended in a bitter fallout with veteran batter Mithali Raj in 2018.
Powar, who had been replaced by former India batsman WV Raman, will now take over from the latter ahead of the side’s upcoming tour of England.
Ramesh Powar was picked by the Cricket Advisory Committee (CAC) of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) comprising former India pacers Madan Lal and RP Singh and former India wicketkeeper Sulakshana Naik.
The CAC got 35 applications, including from former India players Hrishikesh Kanitkar, Ajay Ratra, Mamatha Maben and Hemlata Kala, also a former chairman of the senior women’s selection committee. Raman had also re-applied.
Raj and Powar had publicly fallen out in the aftermath of India’s exit from the semi-finals of the 2018 Women’s T20 World Cup, with both levelling accusations against each other.
He had to make way for WV Raman as a result of the controversy. Under Raman, India made the final of the 2020 Women’s T20 World Cup, going down to Australia in Melbourne.
Powar has coached at the National Cricket Academy in Bangalore and also been part of the support staff of India ‘A’ sides after his previous India Women stint.
Most recently, he coached Mumbai to the Vijay Hazare Trophy title, capping a quick, sensational turnaround after a disappointing Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy that had led to previous coach Amit Pagnis’ resignation.
After Mumbai’s triumph, Powar, who played two Tests and 31 ODIs, had said that spending time at the NCA under Rahul Dravid had changed his approach as a coach.
“I learned about human behaviour and empathy. I learned how a coach can make a difference in a player's life both on and off the field,” Powar told mykhel.com in March. “I learned how one doesn't have to go hard at a player all the time and how it's important to sometimes step back and see things from the player's perspective.”
India Women are scheduled to play a Test match, three ODIs and three T20Is on their England tour in June and July.
Featured photo: Twitter/ICC
