Personality clashes are not new to Indian cricket. For that matter, most major team sport disciplines have been hit by the egos of prominent players. We have witnessed ego-clashes in tennis, hockey and of course, men’s cricket.
Now, top Indian women’s players have taken their grievances to the street. Though the centre of controversy is India’s Test and ODI captain Mithali Raj, current T20 skipper Harmanpreet Kaur and coach Romesh Powar, too, find themselves caught in the web of differences of opinion, excessive self-importance, and down playing national interest for the sake of personal reputations.
Admittedly, Mithali had injury problems; that’s atleast the reason given for her absence from the side that beat Australia. Before the Australia match, however, Mithali had two fifty’s to her name. The core management of the team felt they should stick with the winning combination that played Australia. But the veteran player was miffed because, in her own words, her fall-out with coach Powar led to her being left out of the team.
Perhaps, the rift would not have been in the open if India had won the match; unfortunately the team went down meekly – the swords were out. While Mithali has hit out at an “unresponsive” Powar, the latter has blamed the “attitude” of Mithali and her uncooperative attitude towards fellow-players. It is possible that Mithali was not taken into confidence before her axing from the England match. Whether or not the knee injury of Mithali had healed enough to allow her to be part of the playing eleven in an important World Cup match begs for an answer.
The BCCI has reportedly asked for the “injury log book” to ascertain the truth. Diana Edulji of the CoA has washed her hands of the entire imbroglio. Who wins the “fight” is immaterial because Indian women’s team which had performed brilliantly in the last ODI World Cup seems to be at crossroads. Stories are being floated on factions in the team. The BCCI and CoA should talk to two of the three main protagonists of the story: Mithali Raj and Harmanpreet Kaur. Powar’s contract is, anyway over, and the new coach should be selected with care.
