Ramesh Powar's back: How his comeback as coach impacts the Indian women's cricket team and Mithali Raj
Even as news of former India player Ramesh Powar returning as the head coach of the Indian women's cricket team does the rounds, the immediate thought will be about the impact it will have on the team that once witnessed the caustic fallout between him and Mithali Raj.
Powar succeeds WV Raman, the former India cricketer who took over as coach in 2018. His position came under the scanner after the women's team went down 4-1 in ODIs and 2-1 in the T20Is earlier this year.
Powar was selected by the Cricket Advisory Committee (CAC), comprising Madan Lal, RP Singh, and Sulakshana Naik. The trio also interviewed a number of candidates. In addition to Ramesh Powar and Raman, the others on the list were Hrishikesh Kanitkar, Ajay Ratra, Mamtha Maben, Devika Palshikar, former chair of selectors Hemlatha Kala, along with Suman Sharma, the former assistant coach.
Impact of Ramesh Powar's return to the coach the side
Ramesh Powar's return brings back memories of some of the achievements the team had during his tenure. Starting from qualifying for the semis of the ICC T20 Women’s World Cup in 2018, to winning 14 T20Is consecutively, the team saw a brand of cricket that had a blend of attack, flair and consistency.
Adding to this is his relationship with the seniors, Harmanpreet Kaur and Smriti Mandhana, who had written to the BCCI asking them to continue with him during the infamous and murky row with Raj soon after the World Cup.
This could mean a better working relationship between the comeback coach and the players keen to put their forgettable series against South Africa on the backburner.
There's also that matter of experience. After hanging up his boots in 2015, the tweaker forayed into coaching and is Level 2 ECB certified, while also attending the BCCI-NCA Level 2. Powar's contribution didn't go unnoticed soon after his work with India A, soon after his exit as the women's team coach.
Perhaps the biggest achievement is Mumbai winning the Vijay Hazare Trophy soon after he took over as head coach. Quite simply, this highlights Powar's efficiency and his ability to manage a team that saw quite the success in the past when he was part of the setup.
His immediate task will be to see if they can turn their fortunes around in the upcoming women's team's tour of England where they will play one Test, three ODIs and three T20Is.
What does this mean for Ramesh Powar and Mithali Raj?
Times Now Sports reported Raj would call the curtains on her illustrious career after the 2022 Women's Cricket World Cup. That would mean she will be around when Powar takes over as coach ahead of their tour of England.
Only time will tell if the two will bury the hatchet and not rollback the Ramesh Powar vs Mithali Raj saga, or if there are fireworks that can be expected that will be detrimental to the team going forward. Should there be unresolved conflict, this might also mean fractured relationships within the team.
But for now, there's a man who has made a comeback, and the fervent hope will be to see the side get back to winning ways.