Former opener Woorkeri Venkat Raman was preferred over celebrated South African Gary Kirsten for the position of Indian women’s cricket coach despite dissension among the administrators over the selection process. The 53-year-old is currently a batting consultant at the National Cricket Academy in Bengaluru. The selection committee comprised former captain Kapil Dev, Anshuman Gaekwad, and Shantha Rangaswamy.
Raman, who played 11 Tests and 27 ODIs, is now one of the most qualified coaches in the country. He has coached Ranji Trophy teams like Tamil Nadu and Bengal, and has also had a stint with the India U-19 team. From his cricketing days, Raman is best remembered for being the first Indian to score a century in South Africa during the 1992-93 tour.
The panel recommended three names—Kirsten, Raman and Venkatesh Prasad in order of preference—to the Board. Eventually, the BCCI picked Raman for the job.T he appointment was made despite the Committee of Administrators (COA) being divided on the issue with Diana Edulji asking chairman Vinod Rai to put the selection process on hold.
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