Mithali Raj urges her troops to move on after the ouster of head coach Tushar Arothe

Tushar Arothe had stepped down from his post after players' revolt on July 10.

Mithali Raj | Getty

Two weeks after the ouster of India women’s team head coach, Tushar Arothe, captain Mithali Raj has urged the team to regroup quickly.

Arothe had stepped down from his post after players' revolt on July 10. As per the media reports, His position had become untenable due to alleged differences with some of the star players, who were not pleased with his training methods.

“When we meet at the camp here in a week, the first thing to do is regroup,” Mithali quoted as saying by Sportstar on Friday (July 20).

“These things are part of a sportsperson’s life. You should know your priorities. You have a tour coming up. There is World Cup to prepare for. So I wouldn’t dwell on this much,” she added.

This wasn’t the first time Women in Blue have experienced a change before a showpiece event. When Purnima Rau was removed in April 2017, India had less than two months left for the ICC World Cup in England. Now, Mithali and company are just four months away from the ICC Women’s World T20 in West Indies.

“I cannot say much. When it comes to management decisions, the BCCI is the sole authority. Why they take certain decisions, only they can answer. I wouldn’t want to divulge anything from the meeting which happened in the boardroom. But as a senior I can only see to it that whoever is coaching, I would not go against him or her. As a player, I will look up to the coach to help the team and keep it together,” Mithali remarked.

“When the girls come to the camp, as an experienced player, it’s my duty to direct them towards the right goals. Such incidents do affect the team morale sometimes. I can’t say that nobody reads newspapers and that nobody is being asked. It’s there everywhere. But when you are competing at the highest level, whatever the resources, you have to make the best use of them. We have a good side. But we need to strategise better because T20 is fast-paced. You need to have all your plans in place well ahead,” she explained.

India women’s team will play three ODIs and five T20Is against Sri Lanka in August. The series is considered as a vital preparation for ICC Women’s World Twenty20, slated to be played from November 9 in Windies.

“Sri Lanka tour is very important. ODIs carry points and it is important for us to win. The five T20s will help us gain the confidence which we lost a bit after the Asia Cup. We need to win so that when we get to the World Cup we are confident and go in with a lot of positivity,” Mithali Raj concluded.

Meanwhile, former Indian off-spinner Ramesh Powar has been appointed as the coach of India women's cricket team on an interim basis. He will oversee the women's team camp which begins in Bengaluru from July 25.

 
 

By Salman Anjum - 21 Jul, 2018

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