The Raj-Powar controversy has led to the sacking of Ramesh Powar by the BCCI and they have asked for high-profile applicants for the vacant post. Following the on-going controversy between Ramesh Powar and Mithali Raj, the BCCI decided to discontinue with Powar’s contract in spite of the skipper Harmanpreet Kaur and Vice-captain Smriti Mandhana backing Powar as the head coach. The Indian women’s cricket team recently lost the ICC Twenty20 semi-finals against England in the Caribbean and it all was going on since the very beginning of the world cup. It only infuriated more fans and came as a shock to everyone around the world when Mithali Raj wrote and email to the BCCI regarding the way she was being treated by Powar and further involved Powar’s statements and also opinions from the rest of the team members.
As the BCCI calls for applicants for seeking the post of the Head coach, here are the applicants for the post:
1) Herschelle Gibbs
The former South African legend has applied for the post and believes that it is really prestigious to be associated with the Indian team. Gibbs has played 90 Tests, 248 ODIs and 23 T20Is for South Africa in his career of fourteen years. His first stint as a coach was with Kuwait for their qualification for the ICC T20 World Cup in Australia and is also associated with the Afghanistan Premier League franchise Balkh Legends as their coach. He had also coached the Rajputs in the T10 league where they finished sixth. The right-handed batsman is looking forward to the interview for the post.
2) Tom Moody
This former Aussie cricketer has played eight Tests and 76 ODIs for his national side. A hard hitter and a medium pace bowler, who also played a crucial part in the 1999 World Cup, win for Australia. His experience with coaching was a great one as he coached the Sri Lankan team to the World Cup final in 2007. He later coached the IPL franchise Sunrisers Hyderabad to their first even IPL win and also has his stints with the Domestic array for Australia. He also became the coach of the Kings XI Punjab and played quite a role in the Big Bash League as well. Moody’s good coaching experience and a successful one that makes him a great contender for the post.
3) Venkatesh Prasad
The former Indian slow seamer who effectively moved the ball both ways and was a regular name in the Indian squad in the 90s. His performance in the matches outside India was always notable and could reduce the opposition to shackles. In his career, he played 161 ODIs and took 196 wickets at an average of 32.30. His bowling figures in test matches are surely to be mentioned as he once took 6-33 in a test match against Pakistan at Chennai. He had also taken 10 wickets in a test match against South Africa at the Durban. His experience in coaching came as he was appointed as the coach of the U-19 Indian team and they were the runners-up in the 2006 U-19 World Cup. Prasad was later appointed as the bowling coach for the senior team as well. He also has a coaching experience with IPL Franchises Royal Challengers Bangalore and Kings XI Punjab.
4) Dav Whatmore
Believed to be the man with the secret strategies, behind Sri Lanka’s 1996 World Cup victory against the mighty Australians. A calm coach with some really aggressive strategies that could not be guessed because of his calmness. His strategy of some power hitting in the first 15 overs helped Sri Lanka set some serious benchmarks. He also coached the Bangladesh team from 2003 to 2007 and under his coaching, Bangladesh won their first ever test match. He also served as the coach of the U-19 Indian cricket team led by Virat Kohli and guided them to win the ICC U-19 World Cup in 2008 in Malaysia.
5) Gargi Banerji
As per the reports in Deccan Chronicle, Former India opening batswoman, Gargi Banerjee, has also sent her CV to be considered for the post of women’s cricket team coach.
According to the highly placed sources in the BCCI, she was the first Indian woman player to have applied for the post. Fifty five-year-old Banerjee has participated in two World Cups, played 12 Tests and 26 ODIs and has also served the women’s cricket in various capacities after her retirement. She has been a chairperson for the selection panel, served as a team manager and represented BCCI as its referee. She has completed Level A course and has coached the teams at the domestic level.
6) Owais Shah
Owais Shah, the former English middle order batsman played 71 ODIs, 17 T20Is and also 6 Tests in his career from 2001 to 2009. Despite a good start to his international career, he could not be consistent enough and his below par fielding made his chances really limited and he suffered a series of struggles with the bat and an ordinary hand on captaincy as well. His appearances in all the formats of the game reduced with time as after some match winning knocks, he could not retain that performance and was lacking consistency. He also played for the Kolkata Knight Riders , Delhi Daredevils, Kochi Tuskers Kerala and Rajasthan Royals in the Indian Premier League for a few years. He served as the interim head coach of the United Arab Emirates National team from November 2016 to January 2017 when he was succeeded by Dougie Brown. Possessing some really classy shots and a good amount of experience in domestic cricket for Middlesex and Essex County Cricket club, Shah is looking forward to the BCCI interviews.
7) Manoj Prabhakar
The right-arm-medium-pace bowler and a lower order batsman who also opened for the Indian cricket team at some occasions. The Delhi seam bowling all-rounder has represented India in 39 Tests and 130 ODIs and has taken 96 and 157 wickets in both the formats respectively and over 385 wickets in first-class cricket. Prabhakar believes that experience in test cricket for a player who wishes to coach a team is very crucial and that the basics of cricket for both the men’s and the women’s teams remains the same. He served as the bowling coach of the Delhi Cricket team and the head coach of the Rajasthan cricket team but was later sacked as the Delhi coach for speaking against the management. He was also appointed as the bowling coach of the Afghanistan cricket team. Manoj is remembered for his bowling because of his slower balls and out-swingers and also opening the bowling attack for India. Prabhakar believes that when Indian coaches are available, foreign coaches need not be recruited according to his recent interviews.
8) Ramesh Powar
The former coach of the Indian women’s cricket team has re-applied for the post after he was sacked and also the tenure of contract ended and wishes to continue with the team. Powar, the former Indian ODI off-spinner was recruited as the coach of the Indian women’s cricket team in August 2018. After an argument with the senior batter Mithali Raj during the ICC Women’s Twenty20 World Cup, Powar was taken on by the fans and media for his behaviour with the player as mentioned by her in her mail to the BCCI. Powar believes that if he does not re-apply it would not be justifiable to Kaur and Mandhana who backed him.
The BCCI will lay down a contract of two years with a salary of about 3 to 4 crores a year. The Final decision will be taken by the Chairman of the Committee of Administrators (CoA), Vinod Rai. The Last date to submit the applications is December 14 and the interview scheduled on 20th December by the selection panel consisting of the former Indian great Kapil Dev, Anshuman Gaekwad and Shantha Rangaswamy. Reports also claim that Powar will not be considered for the post despite re-applying.
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