The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) announced on Tuesday (December 11) the formation of the ad-hoc committee to conduct the interviews for the post of head coach of the women’s team.

The panel consists of Indian cricket legends Kapil Dev, Anshuman Gaekwad and Shantha Rangaswamy who will be interviewing the eligible candidates on 20 December at the BCCI headquarters in Mumbai to pick the head coach of the Indian women's team.

The BCCI has been looking for a new head coach for the women’s team after Ramesh Powar’s brief stint as interim coach ended last month, especially because of the controversial circumstances.

The BCCI said in a statement, “The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) on Tuesday announced the ad-hoc committee to conduct the interviews of the eligible candidates for the selection of head coach for Team India (Senior Women).”

The Indian cricket board is hoping to announce the new coach before the New Zealand tour comprises three ODIs and as many T20 Internationals starting on January 24.

Ever since the World T20 semi-final exit, the Indian Women's cricket has been facing tough time off the field, especially after the rift between Mithali Raj and incumbent coach Powar.

The Harmanpreet Kaur-led side failed to reach the final the final of the ICC event after being thrashed by England in the semis, for which the veteran batswoman Mithali controversially overlooked for the crucial encounter in West Indies. Later, she lashed out at Powar's behavior towards her, describing it as "unfair and discriminatory" and since then the national side embroiled in a controversy.

Noteworthy, former Indian all-rounder Manoj Prabhakar and former South African batsman Herschelle Gibbs are deemed as favorites for the role while the deadline for the application expires on 14 December.

(With IANS Inputs)