W.V. Raman appointed coach of Indian women's cricket team
Mumbai, Dec 20: Former opener W V Raman was on Thursday appointed over celebrated South African Gary Kirsten for the post of India's women's cricket coach despite dissension among the administrators over the selection process.
The 53-year-old Raman is currently a batting consultant at the National Cricket Academy in Bengaluru. His first assignment is the tour of New Zealand beginning next month.
"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. He could not be convinced on choosing between IPL and national team," a BCCI official told PTI.
The selection committee comprised former captain Kapil Dev, Anshuman Gaekwad and Shantha Rangaswamy.
The panel recommended three names -- Kirsten, Raman and Venkatesh Prasad (in order of preference) -- to the Board, a reliable source said. Eventually, the BCCI picked Raman for the job.
The appointment was made despite the Committee of Administrators (COA) being divided on the issue with Diana Edulji asking chairman Vinod Rai to put the selection process on hold. BCCI treasurer Anirudh Chaudhry too questioned the process being followed as it had Rai's approval and not Edulji's.
Raman, who played 11 Tests and 27 ODIs, is now one of the most qualified coaches in the country. He has coached big Ranji Trophy teams like Tamil Nadu and Bengal, and has also had a stint with the India U-19 team.
From his playing days, Raman is best remembered for being the first Indian to score a century in South Africa during the 1992-93 tour.
Besides Kirsten, Raman and Prasad, the other shortlisted candidates out of the 28 applicants who were interviewed were Manoj Prabhakar, Trent Johnston, Dimitri Mascarenhas, Brad Hogg and Kalpana Venkatachar.
Kirsten was interviewed via Skype with four others while one interview was conducted over the phone. Raman, Manoj Prabhakar and incumbent Ramesh Powar appeared in person.
Kirsten, who had guided India's men's team to the 2011 World Cup triumph, was the number one choice but needed to step down from his RCB role to avoid a potential conflict of interest. BCCI CEO Rahul Johri even spoke to Kirsten and RCB officials but could not reach an agreement.
"Gary's contention was how can coaching a women's national team be a conflict of interest while being in charge of a men's IPL team. He could not be convinced on that. Having said that, Raman is a good choice as the team needs a batting coach at the moment. Prasad was number three in the pecking order," said the BCCI official.
The ad-hoc panel too made it clear to Kirsten that he would have to part ways with RCB to take up the national team role.
"Practically, there is no conflict of interest but if you go by the book but it would have opened pandora's box. Tomorrow, Ravi Shastri (India men's coach) would demand that he be allowed to do IPL commentary and Rahul Dravid (India A coach) might request that he should be allowed to mentor an IPL franchise," the official added.
Kirsten had been head coach of the Indian team for three years from 2008 to 2011. He then coached South Africa from 2011 to 2013. He is currently the RCB head coach in the Indian Premier League.
The BCCI invited fresh applications for the job after Powar's brief stint as interim coach ended last month, in rather controversial circumstances.
The Supreme Court-appointed COA has been divided over the coach selection process ever since fresh applications were invited.
While Edulji wanted Powar to continue at least till the New Zealand tour starting next month, Rai instructed the BCCI top brass to invite fresh applications.
Powar's controversial interim tenure ended on November 30 after a bitter fallout with ODI captain and senior player Mithali Raj over selection issues during the World Cup.
Powar decided to re-apply after T20 captain Harmanpreet Kaur and her deputy Smriti Mandhana came out in strong support of the former India spinner.
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Akhilesh Yadav questions BJP government's preparedness for Mahakumbh, offers help
Lucknow (UP) (PTI): Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav on Wednesday questioned the Uttar Pradesh government's preparedness for the upcoming Mahakumbh and accused it of mismanagement.
In a social media post, the opposition leader flagged several issues regarding security arrangements, local concerns and overall administration in Prayagraj, urging the government to take immediate corrective action.
"This is the truth of preparations for 'Prayagraj Mahakumbh 2025' under the BJP government! At least the work of the police department should have been completed long ago because the management of the security circle does not wait for the last day," he said on X.
The former chief minister of the state also drew attention to the alleged delay in addressing the needs of local residents and the fair area, stating that people in Prayagraj were questioning the government's priorities.
"The aggrieved people of Prayagraj are asking that the BJP government was very prompt in removing the statue of 'Mahadani' Emperor Harshvardhan, but why is the same speed not being shown for administrative management?"
Yadav highlighted complaints about the "neglect" of local issues, such as transportation and movement around the Mahakumbh area.
"Alternative arrangements should also be made to address the concerns of the residents of Prayagraj about movement and transportation in case of an emergency," he added.
While expressing his party's support for the successful conduct of the Mahakumbh, Yadav emphasised that the local administration must act swiftly to address these gaps. "We want the Mahakumbh to go on and Prayagraj to also remain dynamic."
The SP president said his party is ready to assist the government as the "BJP people would be "busy earning money or in election planning".
"If the government-administration has failed in the preparations for the Mahakumbh, then we propose to send our true and dedicated workers to help because the BJP people would be busy earning money or in election planning," he said in a dig at the ruling party.
