Darkest day of my life: Mithali on Powar's charges on attitude
New Delhi, Nov 29: "It's the darkest day of my life," said senior Indian woman cricketer Mithali Raj, responding to coach Ramesh Powar's allegations that she threatened retirement over a batting position, threw tantrums and created chaos in the side during the World T20.
The war of words, which started with Mithali alleging that Powar was out to destroy her, intensified on Wednesday when the coach, in his tour report, questioned her conduct during the tournament in the West Indies.
India were knocked out following a semifinal loss to England, a match from which Mithali was controversially dropped despite being fit.
Mithali reacted to Powar's report by posting a brief statement on her official Twitter page on Thursday.
"I'm deeply saddened & hurt by the aspersions cast on me. My commitment to the game & 20yrs of playing for my country," she wrote.
"The hard work, sweat, in vain. Today, my patriotism doubted, my skill set questioned & all the mud slinging- it's the darkest day of my life. May god give strength," she added.
The acrimony between the senior player and the coach has shaken Indian women's cricket, which gained significant traction after the team finished runners-up in the ODI World Cup last year.
It started with Mithali accusing Powar and Committee of Administrators' member Diana Edulji of bias. She claimed that while Diana used her position against her, Powar humiliated her with his indifference in the West Indies.
Powar, after declining comment initially, submitted a 10-page tour report to the BCCI in which he detailed his version of the events that led to the breakdown.
In the nearly five-page assessment of Mithali, Powar stated that the senior player threatened to leave the tournament midway at being dropped from the opening slot despite being duly consulted before the move.
He also accused her of chasing personal milestones while ignoring the team's cause.
"I was saddened by her attitude and it gave me an impression that Mithali Raj comes first and then India. She threw a lot of tantrums and created a lot of chaos," Powar stated in his report.
"I hope Mithali stops blackmailing, pressurising coaches and putting her interest first than the team," he said while summarising the 35-year-old batter's performance on the tour.
The 40-year-old Powar's interim tenure comes to an end on Friday.
Even though he will be free to apply for the post when fresh applications are invited, there is little chance that he will be retained owing to the ongoing controversy.
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Gulmarg terror attack: Two soldiers succumb to injuries, toll rises to four
Srinagar (PTI): Two soldiers who were critically wounded in Thursday's terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir's Gulmarg succumbed to their injuries, raising the death toll in the ambush to four.
Two Army porters died on Thursday while another porter and a soldier were injured.
Terrorists attacked a vehicle of the force six kilometres from tourist hotspot Gulmarg in north Kashmir's Baramulla district, officials said on Thursday.
They had said the terrorists opened fire on the Army vehicle in the Bota Pathri area in the evening when it was headed for the Nagin post in the Afrawat range.
Confirming the deaths of the two porters, the officials had said the condition of two of the injured soldiers was critical.
They had said the soldiers in the vehicle opened retaliatory fire when they came under attack.
The area is completely dominated by the Army and there were reports recently that a terrorist group had infiltrated during early summer and taken shelter in the higher reaches of the Afrawat range, they said.
The Bota Pathri area was recently opened to tourists.
Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah said the recent spate of attacks in the Valley was a matter of serious concern.
"Very unfortunate news about the attack on the Army vehicles in the Bota Pathri area of north Kashmir, which has resulted in some casualties and injuries. This recent spate of attacks in Kashmir is a matter of serious concern," he said in a post on X.
"I condemn this attack in the strongest possible terms and send my condolences to the loved ones of the people who lost their lives. I also pray that the injured make a complete and swift recovery," he added.
Former chief minister and People's Democratic Party supremo Mehbooba Mufti also condemned the attack.
The BJP's Jammu and Kashmir president Ravinder Raina, meanwhile, condemned the attack and blamed Pakistan for trying to destabilise peace and tranquillity in the Union Territory.
The attack came amid a spike in terror incidents in the Valley.
In another deadly attack on Sunday, six non-local labourers and a local doctor were killed when terrorists fired indiscriminately upon them at the Z-Morh tunnel construction site in the Gagangir area of central Kashmir's Ganderbal district.
Before that, a labourer from Bihar was shot dead by terrorists in Shopian district on October 18.
Earlier on Thursday, terrorists shot at and injured a labourer from Uttar Pradesh in the Tral area of Pulwama district.
