Ramesh Powar and Mithali Raj must forget the past and move on: Ex-India women cricketers

Anju Jain and Diana Edulji

With Mithali Raj making it clear that the 50-over World Cup next year could be her last international tournament before announcing her retirement, it will be interesting to see how things pan out between the most decorated Indian women's cricketer and Ramesh Powar in his second stint as the Indian women's team's head coach. Powar and Mithali had a bitter fallout after the latter accused him of bias during his first stint as coach.

Former India women's captain Diana Edulji, who was part of the Supreme Court-appointed Committee of Administrators (CoA) when the Powar-Mithali saga played out in public domain, feels it's time to move on. "There is no point discussing what happened in the past. It's time to look forward now. I wish the Indian women's team the best and hope they achieve more glory in the years to come," Edulji told mid-day on Thursday.

Powar, who was the spin bowling coach at the National Cricket Academy in Bangalore after his contract with the Indian women's team was not renewed in November 2018, will begin with a full-fledged tour to England in June, where the Indian eves will play one Test, three ODIs and T20Is.

Former India captain Anju Jain hopes Powar and Mithali can bury their differences. "I am sure they [Powar and Mithali] will not carry forward whatever has happened in the past. This is an important season and I'm sure as professionals they will focus on the team's performance instead of dwelling on their individual differences. They are experienced enough to know their priorities. I'm sure they will put the team first," Jain said from New Delhi, while backing the Cricket Advisory Committee's decision to appoint Powar as the women's coach. "He [Powar] has already worked with the girls, so that's an advantage. Over the years, he has proved himself as a coach. So, definitely this is a positive move. However, WV Raman sir also did well [when he was coach]," said Jain.

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