Women’s Cricket Issue Being Used To Divert Attention From Johri: Edulji

Diana Edulji recently said that the current controversy surrounding women’s cricket, ODI captain Mithali Raj's bitter fallout with then Coach Ramesh Powar, has been carried in a manner to divert attention from the alleged sexual harassment case involving BCCI CEO Rahul Johri. India’s first women’s cricket captain, Shantha Rangaswamy, who is also a member of the three-member committee that selected W V Raman as the new women’s coach, echoes her sentiments.

“Shantha Rangaswamy has also on an e-mail addressed to us and the Acting Secretary mentioned that the issue of women’s cricket was used to attack the COA member because of the stand she took against the CEO,” Diana alleged, Indian Express reported.

Johri resumed his role at BCCI last month, after all the sexual harassment charges against him were ruled out. While Committee of Administrators (CoA) chairman Vinod Rai was satisfied with the report submitted by the probe panel, Edulji strongly voted that Johri's should step down.

Two days after Johri was cleared, the Indian women’s team lost to England in the semifinals of the World T20 and senior player Mithali Raj was dropped from the crucial game. A month later, the COA is divided more than ever, after Raman was appointed as the new coach, replacing Powar.

“…you have used the women’s cricket as a diversonary (sic) tactic to take the heat off the CEO’s sexual harassment allegations and made a big deal out of a non issue. This is once again a big dent on women’s cricket in particular and BCCI at large,” wrote Edulji to Rai after Raman was appointed on Thursday.

Raj had earlier criticised Edulji and Powar in a letter to BCCI CEO Rahul Johri and Cricket Operations General Manager Saba Karim accusing Edulji of being biased and Ramesh Powar of humiliating her. Expressing disappointment at the decision to rest her for the crucial match.

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