CHENNAI: Women are doing what the men did! Last year Virat Kohli was batting for Ravi Shastri’s return as coach instead of Anil Kumble. Now, senior members of the women’s team want Ramesh Powar to continue.
Harmanpreet Kaur and Smriti Mandhana, captain and vice-captain of the women’s T20 team, have come out in support of the coach whose job has come under scrutiny following the Mithali Raj controversy. The two were asked to explain what was going on. In a letter to the Committee of Administrators, CEO Rahul Johri, General Manager Syed Saba Karim and office-bearers of the BCCI, the two said the decision to drop Mithali was based on cricketing logic. They urged Powar and Mithali to bury the hatchet in the team’s interest.
Harmanpreet and Smriti praised Powar’s inputs as coach. It comes days after Mithali blamed the former India spinner for benching her in the semifinal against England. With Powar subsequently singling out Mithali in his report, where he said she was placing self ahead of the team, the BCCI last week invited fresh applications for the coach’s post. But the story took a turn on Monday, as Harmanpreet and Smriti called on those in charge to reappoint him for the sake of continuity.
“Having kept in mind the confidence of each player built in the last three months, I tried to avoid and exceed the controversies blemishing our reputation. Sir Ramesh Powar not only improved us as players but motivated us to set targets and challenge our own limits. He has changed the face of the Indian women’s cricket team technically and strategically. He has inculcated in us the sense of winning mentality,” Harmanpreet wrote in her letter, a copy of which is with this newspaper.
“With regard to the exclusion of Mithali Raj, Sir Ramesh Powar was not single-handedly responsible. The decision was based on cricketing logic and observations from the past. Keeping in mind the need of the hour, me, Smriti, the selector (Sudha Shah) and the coach together in the presence of our manager felt that we should go ahead with the winning combination. I believe it should come to your understanding that the intent was not personal but based on the welfare of the team,” Harmanpreet added.
Her version was endorsed by her deputy. “Ramesh Sir has changed the intent of players and given everyone confidence to express themselves on the field to their fullest. He made everyone believe they are match-winners in his short tenure,” Smriti wrote.
Harmanpreet cited the tour of New Zealand coming up in a month’s time as reason why Powar should be reinstated. “As the T20 captain and ODI vice-captain I am appealing before you to allow Powar to continue as coach. Another change of coach will affect our growth.”