After a much-awaited interval, on December 20, Thursday, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) announced that former opener Woorkeri Venkat Raman has been selected for the position of India’s women’s cricket coach. The 53-year-old veteran player has been selected over South Africa’s Gary Kirsten who was the top choice for the selectors. He is currently a batting consultant at the National Cricket Academy in Bengaluru.
Kirsten was the top choice for the BCCI ad-hoc selection committee but Raman got the job as the South African was not keen on giving up his plum job with IPL franchise Royal Challengers Bangalore,” a BCCI official said.
The selection committee comprising of Kapil Dev, Anshuman Gaekwad and Shantha Rangswamy recommended three names – Kirsten, Raman and Venkatesh Prasad – and eventually agreed upon Raman. The former opener is now one of the most qualified coaches in the country as he boasts of an experience of 11 Tests and 27 ODIs. He has also contributed to domestic cricket by coaching Tamil Nadu and Bengal along with a stint with the India U-19 team.
The row between the veteran player and the Women’s team head coach began after Mithali Raj wrote a letter to the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) complaining about biased behaviour by head coach Ramesh Powar. Later Powar had replied saying Mithali was aloof and difficult to handle. Powar had also alleged that Raj was indulged in ‘blackmailing and pressurising’ coaches.
Meanwhile, Kirsten was the selection panel’s first choice but he was not keen on leaving the RCB side. Therefore, the panel went with the opener as they demanded a batting coach.
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