The Ramesh Powar-Mithali Raj saga has rocked the cricketing world with so much fallout in the public. Powar tenure ended Monday (December 3) and it was not renewed further.
However, now the Indian women cricket has seemed to be divided into two as T20I captain Harmanpreet Kaur and vice-captain Smriti Mandhana have written to the CoA and BCCI demanding that Powar is reinstated and allowed to continue in his role as Indian women’s team coach.
Committee of Administrators (COA) chairman Vinod Rai confirmed to PTI that Harmanpreet and Smriti have backed Powar to continue till 2021. Powar's interim tenure ended on November 30 and the BCCI has already invited fresh applications for the job. Powar is free to re-apply.
"Yes, they have written a letter stating that they want Ramesh Powar to continue," Rai said.
However, despite backing from Kaur and Mandhana, it has been learned that Ekta Bisht and Mansi Joshi back Mithali and are against bringing back Powar as coach. Powar's term ended a week after India lost the semifinals of the World T20 to England. The team management dropped Mithali for the knock-out fixture, triggering a huge controversy.
Mithali went on to accuse Powar and COA member Diana Edulji of trying to destroy her and having a bias against her. Powar, on the other hand, accused Mithali of blackmailing and threatening to retire midway during the World T20 after being denied the opening slot and creating chaos in the team.
"I, as the T20 captain and ODI vice-captain is appealing before you to allow Powar to further continue as our team coach. There are hardly 15 months for the next T20 World Cup and a month to go for the New Zealand tour. The way he has transformed us as a team, I feel no reason to replace him," Harmanpreet wrote in the letter which is in PTI's possession.
"Our defeat in the semi-finals was very disheartening and it brings us all to feel more miserable to see how the controversies has stained our image and questioned the entire cricket fraternity," Harmanpreet said.
"Sir Ramesh Powar not only improved us as players but did motivate us to set targets and challenge our own limits. He has changed the face of Indian women's cricket team both technically and strategically. He has inculcated in us the sense of winning,” she said.
Harmanpreet also said that the decision to drop Mithali from the playing XI in the semis was a team management call. “With regard to the exclusion of Mithali Raj, Sir Ramesh Powar was not single-handedly responsible. The decision was entirely based on the cricketing logic and observations from the past,” Kaur said.
Kaur further said, "Keeping in mind the need of the hour where 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. And I believe it should have come to your understanding that the intent was not personal but entirely based for the welfare of the team."
"Another change of coach will affect our growth and we will have to start from the scratch. And whatever may be the reason for Ramesh Sir's and Mithali Raj's conflicts, they should solve it across the table like a family and call it truce. This will provide more sense and security to them and the entire team," Kaur concluded.
Backing the views of Harmanpreet, Mandhana too wrote, “Since the introduction of Powar, he along with the support staff has boosted our confidence as a team which has helped us win 14 consecutive T20 matches. He changed the intent of the players and gave everyone confidence.”
The deadline for applying for the coach's job is December 14 and the BCCI are in hunt of a high-profile candidate to fill the vacancy.
(Inputs from PTI)
