W.V. Raman, the former India opening batsman who is at present a key member of the BCCI’s player-development programme, has been announced as the Indian women’s cricket team head coach despite the two CoA members continuing to be at loggerheads over the process adopted for the appointment.
Late on Thursday night, after 10 candidates were interviewed by a three-member ad-hoc committee comprising former India captain and coach Kapil Dev, former India opener and coach Aunshuman Gaekwad and former India women’s team captain Shantha Rangaswamy, the BCCI named Raman since Gary Kirsten, the most high-profile name in the list of 28 applicants, refused to give up his obligations with IPL franchise Royal Challengers Bangalore.
Kirsten first choice, but...
“The ad-hoc committee decided on the following three names in the order of preference: 1) Gary Kirsten, 2) WV Raman, 3) Venkatesh Prasad. However, Mr. Kirsten was unable to take up this assignment due to his ongoing contract with an Indian Premier League franchise, which would have entailed Conflict of Interest as per the BCCI constitution.
“In view of this, the BCCI appointed Mr. Raman as the Head Coach of the Indian Women’s Cricket team,” the BCCI stated in a media statement that was neither attributed to the CoA nor to an office-bearer.
Though Raman, who has been working as the batting coach at the National Cricket Academy and also travelled as coach with the India Under-19 or other developmental squads in Rahul Dravid’s absence, had emerged as a front-runner for the post, the late announcement came as a surprise because the CoA members Vinod Rai and Diana Edulji had issued contradictory instructions to the BCCI executives.
It is understood that while Kapil’s panel was interviewing the candidates at the BCCI headquarters, Rai and Edulji continued to differ over the very constitution of the ad-hoc committee. It was followed by terse emails by both to BCCI executives.
Instructions
In an email on Friday evening, accessed by The Hindu , Rai instructed Saba Karim, the BCCI general manager-cricket operations, to make the appointment official since the ad-hoc panel was “constituted with Diana suggesting names”.
In response, Edulji referred to the process of selecting the coach “unconstitutional” adding she does “not endorse this sham process of announcing the appointment”.
She also instructed Karim and BCCI chief executive Rahul Johri “to keep the announcement of the Coach of the Indian Women’s Cricket Team in abeyance until the COA reaches a common agreement”.
The Powar issue
The women’s coach position had been vacant ever since Ramesh Powar’s tenure expired on November 30.
Powar’s showdown with veteran Mithali Raj during the last month’s World T20 had resulted in an open war of words in Indian women’s cricket. Edulji had joined the pro-Powar faction, with the T20 captain Harmanpreet Kaur and her deputy Smriti Mandhana requesting BCCI to persist with the former off-spinner.
Raman's Record
Tamil Nadu head coach (2006-09, 2013-15)
Bengal head coach (2010-2013)
Kings XI Punjab assistant coach (2013)
Kolkata Knight Riders batting coach (2014)
India Under-19 interim coach (since 2017)
National Cricket Academy batting coach (since 2015)
