Former India captain Jhulan Goswami believes it is important to have a settled coach and support staff for the Indian women’s cricket team going forward.
The women’s team has witnessed many changes in its coaching staff in the last few years: Ramesh Powar was recently moved to the National Cricket Academy and Hrishikesh Kanitkar was appointed as the batting coach barely a couple of days before the five-match T20I series against Australia.
Playing without a head coach or a bowling coach, India lost the T20I series 1-4.
Goswami, who retired from international cricket in September, believes that the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) should give the coaching staff a longer rope before deciding their fate. “It is difficult for me to comment as I am not part of the dressing room. But I think down the line you’ll have to settle down, have a good plan and a vision. Whoever is there, give them a full-term, give them full support and then judge them,” Goswami said at the Dilip Sardesai Memorial Lecture here on Tuesday.
“I don’t know why all those decisions were taken, and even I want to see a settled coach, a settled support staff. That’s required for the Indian team,” Goswami said.
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There have been allegations in the past that players had a role to play in the axing of coaches. However, Goswami said that she never complained about any coach or support staff in her two-decade-long international career. “Honestly speaking, in my 20 years, I never went to a BCCI official to complain against a coach or support staff. I would go there and complain about facilities or ask for more domestic matches. I would request them for a masseur with the team, or for business class tickets for the team. But I never told them that we don’t want this coach or that coach. That way I was not there in decision making,” Goswami said, before adding with a smile, “Maybe, they did not like my face [when making deliberations]…”
The BCCI will be conducting the inaugural edition of the Women’s IPL in March next year and Goswami is confident that the tournament will change India’s women’s cricket. “It is going to be an exciting year for women’s cricket. We have been waiting for a long time for the Women’s IPL and I am definitely looking forward to it. I am sure it’s going to change Indian women’s cricket,” Goswami said.
“If you have to improve, you have to beat Australia. If you want to create something different, you need a good domestic circuit. After WIPL, our domestic girls will benefit, they are going to earn a little bit of money, and plan their schedule properly. That’s going to benefit women’s cricket,” the former India captain said.
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