After Ramesh Powar quit from his position both Harmanpreet Kaur and Smriti Mandhana wrote to the BCCI for retaining him as the coach for the women's side. In a letter to the BCCI, Harmanpreet termed him as someone who "has changed the face of Indian women’s cricket team both technically and strategically." However, on Tuesday, former Indian cricketer Sanjay Manjrekar took to Twitter to criticise Kaur's statement.
In a tweet, the cricketer-turned-commentator said, “Harmanpreet needs reminding that when Powar was not coach India reached the finals of the WC and almost won it. By suggesting that if Powar is removed we have to start from scratch is an exaggeration of any coach’s role in the team.”
READ: Ten Things To Know About The Mithali-Powar Saga
On Tuesday, Kaur requested the cricket board to extend Powar's contract as the team's coach.
"I as the Twenty-20 captain and One-Day vice-captain is appealing before you to allow Ramesh Powar to further continue as our team coach. There are hardly 15 months for the next T20 World Cup and a month to go for the New Zealand tour. The way he has transformed us as a team, I feel no reason to replace him with any better at this point in time when the team is coordinating well with him and amongst each other. It takes a while to understand and select combinations and equate a coach's temperament," Harmanpreet said in a letter addressed to the BCCI.
Meanwhile, Smriti wrote, “His guidance and inputs will be helpful for the team to perform well for the upcoming New Zealand tour and next T20 World Cup in Australia."
Further Harmanpreet said, "Another change of coach will affect our growth and we will have to start from scratch. And whatever may be the reason for Ramesh Powar's and Mithali Raj's conflicts, they should solve it across the table like a family and call it a truce. This will provide more sense and security to them and the entire team."
"Our defeat in the semi-finals was very disheartening and it brings us all to feel more miserable, to see how the controversies (post world cup) has stained our image and questioned the entire cricket fraternity," Harmanpreet added.
India clashed against England in the semi-final clash of the ICC Women’s World T20 in which the senior player Mithali Raj was excluded from the playing XI. India lost by eight wickets and the tension between Powar and the ODI captain Raj further escalated.
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