CHENNAI: Deamanding. That’s the word Ramesh Powar, the newly-appointed women’s team coach, uses to describe himself. It’s one word the team is used to. The same “demanding” nature of former coach Tushar Arothe — and his insistence for extra practice hours that led to him not being on proper terms with the players — led to his resignation in July. But what Powar brings to the table — he will serve as coach till T20 World Cup in November — is clarity. “I am demanding as coach when it comes to skills and execution of plans.
There are no doubts over their abilities. But when they walk in to bat or bowl, there should be purpose,” the former India allrounder told Express. “To start with, fitness is the need of the hour. It is one aspect that they are trying to improve. But if they refuse to do so, then I will be demanding.” It is not a cakewalk for a new coach to come into this side, considering their recent past. After finishing runners- up at the 2017 World Cup and a successful South Africa sojourn — they won both the ODI and T20I series in January — things did not go as planned.
They began their home season with a 0-3 loss to Australia in ODIs in March, followed by a poor trination T20I series. This nightmarish run continued even at the T20 Asia Cup, where the six-time champions lost to underdogs Bangladesh in the final. “I come from Mumbai, where players develop the habit of winning. I’m trying to inculcate the same here. We have to win with good margins. We have to be shrewd,” remarked Powar.
“During practice, we are very specific about everyone’s role on the field. We are looking to build characters rather than players.” The 40-year-old will find in the upcoming Sri Lanka tour an opportunity to revive the team. The sojourn — five T20Is and three ODIs — will serve as a platform for gearing the team up for the World Cup. While Asia Cup provided enough match-time for the entire 15-member squad to gauge their best possible combinations, that below-par run also opened up more cracks. Jemimah Rodrigues warmed the bench. Mona Meshram was included ahead of Pooja Vastrakar. Veda Krishnamurthy’s form went on the wane.
The side itself underwent quite a few changes post the recent squad announcement. There is no Jhulan Goswami, which means that 29-yearold Shikha Pandey will spearhead the pace attack. Speedster Mansi Joshi is back after a long injury- layof f. And there are new faces in the form of Hemalatha Dayalan and Arundhati Reddy. With this as the backdrop, there are many missing links that need to be taken care of by Powar, that too in very less time. Equipped with a monthlong experience as interim coach for the team in July, he sees this tour as an opportunity for producing match-winners rather than players. “It’s important to see how many of them we can get in batting, bowling and even fielding. We wanted players who not only fit the slot, but can also create an impact. Arundhati is one such player to look forward to. She can bat and bowl well.”
srinidhi@newindianexpress.com