Lending support to under-fire Ramesh Powar, India’s T20I skipper Harmanpreet Kaur and her deputy Smriti Mandhana have written to the board and requested them to let the former India spinner continue as coach.
Ramesh Powar fell out with the BCCI after the Mithali Raj controversy which began after the latter was dropped from India’s playing XI in the semi-final of the just concluded World T20 in the West Indies. Later, Mithali, in an informal letter to the BCCI, claimed that she was humiliated by Ramesh Powar. The former India international had then hit back by saying that she blackmails the coaches.
And amidst all this, BCCI decided against extending Powar’s contract, thus inviting fresh applications. Powar was appointed in August after Tushar Arothe quit following differences with the senior players over training methods. However, the board’s decision has not impressed Harmanpreet Kaur and Smriti Mandhana. Both the players wrote to the board, insisting that Powar has been instrumental in changing the attitude of the players. They also stated that the decision to drop ODI skipper Mithali Raj from the semi-final against England was an unanimous decision taken by the team management.
Skipper Harmanpreet Kaur in her letter, accessed by Hindustan Times, wrote:
“I am writing to bring it under your notice that how tremendously our team has gone under positive changes in the past few months and has set a benchmark in the world top teams. 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.
“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 faced of Indian women’s cricket team both technically and strategically. He has inculcated in us the sense of winning,” she wrote.
She went on to explain the decision to drop Mithali.
“The decision was entirely based on the cricketing logics and observations from the past. Keeping in mind the need of the hour, me, Smriti, selector Sudha Shah and the coach together in the presence of our manager felt that we should go ahead with the winning combination.”
She concluded by writing:
“Cutting the conversation short, 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.”
T20 Deputy Smriti echoed her sentiments and wrote to the BCCI.
“All the meetings that were held with respect to the playing XI for all the matches came to a unanimous decision which was taken by captain, vice-captain, coach and selector in the presence of our team manager (Trupti Bhattacharya). 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.”