Coaching the Indian Women's team is a likeable challenge, says Ramesh Powar

Ramesh has been appointed the coach of Indian women's team.

Ramesh Powar (AFP)

Having been just appointed Indian women's head coach, former off-spinner Ramesh Powar has said that at the highest level coaching is more about working on the psychological aspects rather than the technical side of the game. 

Ramesh has been picked with Indian Cricket ambitioned to try and win the upcoming ICC World T20 in the Caribbean this November. His current contract runs till then only. 

Ramesh, who had his first media engagement since becoming the coach on the sidelines of the Women’s Twenty20 Challenger Trophy, said in an interview given to Cricketnext that, "Communication. Man-management is the thing. Everyone knows what technique is. It is about how you convey and get the players do things that is right for them. Because the players there were from a different country, it took me some time to convince them on certain things but luckily I was able to get through. I also learnt a few things from them like programming and planning. Their practice sessions are quite extraordinary. They use technology to the fullest effect."

 "If you connect with each and every girl individually then you will know exactly what is happening in the team. That’s what I exactly did in the first camp at the NCA in Bangalore." Ramesh gave an insight into his first meeting with the group and said, "I will try and take them to one page because India is greater than anybody. When you represent India nothing else matters, just that flag and logo matters. That’s where I come from and I have conveyed that to them. Hopefully, they will produce some good results in the future."

"It was alright actually. Luckily I had coached Under-16, Under-19, Under-23 and senior Mumbai girls (at an individual level). So, I was in connect with the (local) coaches. They used to give me feedback that men’s cricket and women’s cricket are different. Main difference is the strength. They have different strengths. If they get their technique right then they can compensate." he added. 

Ramesh also believes that having played first-class cricket for 17 years and taking 626 wickets across different formats helps in understanding and passing on the knowledge. 

"There are many coaches who played a part. Some were good tactically and some were good technically. I made my first-class debut under Ashok Mankad sir. He was very tactical. He never coached us in the ground. He played with our mind." he said and added, "He knew how to handle Vinod Kambli, he also knew how to handle Ramesh Powar who was making his debut. Ashok Mankad was a very good man-manager. He could make big names come together. We had seven Test players in the Mumbai team when I made my debut."

"Motivating them to deliver in a domestic tournament was a striking thing for me. Whoever can manage that kind of dressing room is commendable. During the latter part of my Mumbai career, I was always the head spinner. Working with Pravin Amre and Chandrakant Pandit taught me a lot of things. Coaching came naturally to me. I read a lot of things on coaching, but I try and mix practical with book knowledge. I love the job. It’s been good experience for three years."
 

 

 
 

By Kashish Chadha - 20 Aug, 2018

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