Mithali wanted to pack her bags and leave: Ramesh Powar
The controversy surrounding Indian women's cricketer Mithali Raj is getting uglier with every passing day. After the senior opening batswoman had lashed out at coach Ramesh Powar, accusing him of trying to hurt and destroy her, now the latter has come out, in public, with his version of the event. Powar stated that Mithali had threatened to pack her bags and leave. Here's more.
Mithali had accused Powar of being unfair
According to a report in India Today, Mithali wrote a scathing letter to the BCCI after she returned to India and said Powar's behavior was unfair. Raj stated, "My issues with the coach started immediately as we landed in the West Indies. At first there were small signs that his behaviour towards me was unfair and discriminatory but I didn't bother much about it."
Now Powar has shot back at Raj
According to India Today, the coach went ahead and countered every charge levelled against him. He made some startling revelations about Mithali. "Mithali Raj- a senior player in the team. Minimum inputs in team meetings not a single word of appreciation after finishing at the top of the table," Powar said in a meeting, held at the BCCI headquarters in Mumbai.
Mithali had packed her bags to leave: Powar
Powar claimed that Mithali was unhappy after the batting order was changed and she wasn't allowed to open the innings. He added that the senior player wanted to pack her bags and leave, besides threatening them about announcing her retirement. "She packed her bags to leave with announcement of retirement in the morning. I was shell shocked to understand why?" said Powar.
For Mithali Raj she comes first, says Powar
"I was sadden and baffled by her attitude. It gave me a impression that for Mithali Raj, she comes first and then team India. I called team manager early in the morning and discussed the issue," said the Indian women's team coach.
What next for Powar and Mithali?
The 40-year-old coach's interim tenure comes to an end this Friday. Powar will be eligible to apply for the post once fresh applications are invited, but reports state that he is not going to be retained. This comes since his management skills are being questioned due to this incident. As for Mithali, it is believed that she is likely to retire from T20Is.
What had happened in the WT20?
In the ICC World T20, Raj was asked to bat lower down the order in the opening match. But, she resumed her normal position for the next two matches. Mithali hit 56 against Pakistan and then notched a gritty 51 against the Irish eves. She was rested for the game against Australia. And then in a vital semis clash, she was dropped.
CoA not to interfere as Mithali unhappy with Edulji
Meanwhile, former India women captain, Diana Edulji, who is part of the two-member Committee of Administrators (CoA), has earlier said that the body will not interfere in the controversy surrounding Raj and the team selection. Mithali lashed out at Edulji for showing her brazen support with respect to the decision of dropping the player for the WT20 semis, despite knowing the truth.
