Women’s cricket is the next big thing, says former India coach Ravi Shastri

Former India fielding coach R. Sridhar said the programme would begin with selection trials across 20 districts in Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh and Telangana.

Published : Feb 15, 2023 19:18 IST , HYDERABAD

Former India coach and co-founder of Coaching Beyond, Ravi Shastri, along with other dignitaries felicitating G. Trisha, member of the Under-19 Women’s World Cup winning team, at the launch of The Junior Athletes Development Programme in Hyderabad on Wednesday.
Former India coach and co-founder of Coaching Beyond, Ravi Shastri, along with other dignitaries felicitating G. Trisha, member of the Under-19 Women’s World Cup winning team, at the launch of The Junior Athletes Development Programme in Hyderabad on Wednesday. | Photo Credit: V.V. SUBRAHMANYAM
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Former India coach and co-founder of Coaching Beyond, Ravi Shastri, along with other dignitaries felicitating G. Trisha, member of the Under-19 Women’s World Cup winning team, at the launch of The Junior Athletes Development Programme in Hyderabad on Wednesday. | Photo Credit: V.V. SUBRAHMANYAM

Former India head coach Ravi Shastri feels that women’s cricket is the ‘next biggest thing’ in world cricket and that the recent victory in the Under-19 World Cup will boost the growth of women’s cricket in India.

“The next biggest thing in the world of cricket is women’s cricket. And, there is no better time than to launch the Junior Athletes Development Programme,” Shastri, who is the co-founder of Coaching Beyond which announced its launch in Hyderabad on Wednesday said.

“The recent victory in the Women’s World Cup (under-19) and the Women’s Premier League are all great signs for a very good future for the sport,” he added during the launch in association with Hindustan Unilever Ltd (HUL).

Shastri further said that the partnership with HUL will benefit the growth of women cricketers.

“HUL is closest to women’s hearts with 90 per cent of their products catering to them. These girls deserve an opportunity to grow big in the world of cricket,” Shastri said.

“I tell you, we don’t encourage short-cuts, we have the right work ethics and there are no compromises in producing quality cricketers. We have seen what our country lacks in terms of opportunities, and facilities. So, I feel God has given us this opportunity to serve women’s cricket, imparting our knowledge and sharing our experiences. Importantly at Coaching Beyond we coach coaches for better results. The initial emphasis is on quality and not numbers. In future, it will be a pan-India programme for sure,” he added.

Former India fielding coach R. Sridhar said the programme would begin with selection trials across 20 districts in Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh and Telangana.

“The selected young talent will play a tournament in Chennai and Hyderabad and the best 50 youngsters will be shortlisted for the HUL scholarship programme,” he said. “In the last phase, training will begin as part of the scholarship spanning three years. There will be no age limit,” he said.

“Yes, there will be critical evaluation every six months. The emphasis will not be only scorebooks but also other aspects like attitude, hard work and consistency,” Sridhar said.

Co-founder of Coaching Beyond and former India bowling coach Bharat Arun was confident of the programme producing India players in the days to come given the scientific approach that would be in place.

Mr. Srinandan Sundaram, ED, Foods & Refreshment, Hindustan Unilever Ltd, and Mr. Krishnan Sundaram, HUL VP, said they would be scaling up the support as per the vision of Coaching Beyond.

Later, Shastri along with his team, felicitated G. Trisha, a member of the Under-19 World Cup winning team.

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