The anticipation surrounding the appointment of a head coach for the Indian women’s cricket team continues to mount, as the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has now decided to postpone the confirmation of the Cricket Advisory Committee’s recommendation for the head coach, as they intend to announce additional appointments in conjunction with it.
In May 2023, the BCCI initiated the application process for the position of head coach. Following this, three candidates, namely Amol Muzumdar, Tushar Arothe, and Jon Lewis were shortlisted for the coveted role. Subsequently, on the 3rd of July in Mumbai, the Cricket Advisory Committee (CAC) conducted interviews with the aforementioned candidates and while an official announcement was eagerly anticipated, it did not materialize as expected.
Speculations arose following information disclosed by an unnamed BCCI official, suggesting that the CAC had reportedly recommended Amol Muzumdar for the long-vacant head coach position. Expectations were that the official announcement would come in either on the 3rd or 4th of July, allowing the newly appointed coach to accompany the team to Bangladesh, on their first assignment after a four-month hiatus.
Update from the BCCI's Apex Council meeting on appointment of India's Senior Women's head coach 👇#CricketTwitter pic.twitter.com/F18uyaziVY
— Female Cricket (@imfemalecricket) July 8, 2023
Nevertheless, as the day progressed on the 4th of July, without any official communication from the BCCI, it was learned that the India Under-19 Women’s team head coach, Nooshin Al Khadeer, has been appointed as an interim coach for the B’desh tour. Additionally, it was revealed that the BCCI would require a few more days to make a final decision regarding Amol Muzumdar’s appointment as head coach.
The 19th Apex Council meeting of the BCCI was held on July 7, 2023, in Mumbai. Following the meeting, BCCI President Jay Shah informed that the CAC has provided a recommendation for the head coach position. However, Shah clarified that the announcement of the head coach will be made only after interviews have been conducted for the batting and bowling coach roles and that would only be ahead of India’s tour of China for the Asian Games.
Quoting as sourced from News 18, “The CAC has recommended the name of a head coach. They will also interview a batting and bowling coach. We will announce the names of all coaches before the Asian Games.” Mr. Shah also clarified the BCCIs stance on Asian Games participation after initially opting against participation, stating, “We are going to participate in the Asian Games. The Apex Council has approved the participation of our men’s and women’s teams.”