Former India cricketer Ramesh Powar returned as the head coach of the Indian women's cricket team for the second time after WV Raman was shown the door. The move by the Cricket Advisory Committee (CAC) baffled people for multiple reasons. While Raman had done reasonably well as the coach of the team, taking them to the final of T20 World Cup 2020 but still saw him being replaced by Powar, leaving many baffled.Now, Raman, has written to BCCI president Sourav Ganguly and National Cricket Academy (NCA) head Rahul Dravid, alleging that there is a "prima donna culture" in the national team and it needs to change. "If some people in the system have been highly accommodated to the extent of being seemingly obsequious to an accomplished player for years, and if that performer feels constrained to that culture, I would leave it to you to decide as a successful former captain if the coach was asking for too much," Raman is learned to have written in his mail to Ganguly on Friday (May 14).
In his short letter, which has also been copied to Dravid, the head of India cricket, Raman said he has no qualms in accepting the Cricket Advisory Committee (CAC) decision to drop him as coach but he said it would never be in the interest of Indian women's cricket if the decision was based on a complaint from players. Raman has alleged that some individuals are allowed to keep personal interest above the team's and has used strong words such as 'overall hygiene of women's cricket' and 'country's pride' in his assessment. "If I were to be rejected due to my incompetence as a coach, there is no argument at all because that is a judgement call. But what will be extremely disconcerting is if my candidature was rejected due to any other reasons especially due to allegations from people who more focussed on achieving their personal objectives at the expense of the overall hygiene and welfare Indian women's team and pride of the country," Raman wrote without mincing words. "In my career spanning 20 years, I have always had a work culture in which 'team comes first' and no individual was overriding the game or the team (sic)."He also pleaded that the campaign against him should end. He wrote, "His style of function and work ethics are of no consequences now. However, what is important to me is that the smear campaign has gained unwarranted traction with some BCCI officials which needs to be halted permanently," he further wrote. "I am prepared to provide explanations.
