Ex-CoA chief on Mithali Raj-Powar controversy; 'Removing player before toss utterly wrong'

Mithali Raj and former India women's team coach Ramesh Powar were involved in a major controversy back in 2018 that shocked the cricketing fraternity. The incident we are talking about is about when Mithali Raj did not play the World T20 semi-final against England after being axed by the coach. As it turned out, India lost the game and was knocked out of the tournament. Former COA Vinod Rai in his book ‘Not Just a Nightwatchman – My Innings in the BCCI’, revealed certain details about the Mithali Raj- Ramesh Powar controversy in which Powar felt Mithali’s lack of form had prompted the management to drop her for the semi-final. 

Vinod Rai thoughts on the Mithali Raj Ramesh Powar controversy

Speaking to ANI over Mithali Raj Ramesh Powar controversy, Vinod Rai quoted "A senior player might get off colour and team captain, vice-captain and coach can discuss the form issue. Mithali Raj would have opted out of her own had she not been in form but to remove a player just before the toss is utterly wrong".  He further said, " Players, coach, and management were consulted and spoken to but it was found that the atmosphere of the team was not good and the coach was removed after that".

All you need to know about Mithali Raj Ramesh Powar controversy

Back in 2018, Mithali Raj's manager accused Harmanpreet Kaur of being a 'lying, manipulative and undeserving captain'. The Indian ODI skipper had written a scathing letter to the BCCI accusing head coach Ramesh Powar and CoA member Diana Edulji of bias.

After the letter from Mithali Raj went viral, India women's team coach Ramesh Powar went and met with the BCCI top brass to clear his stance on the issue. After the meeting, Powar had submitted a report to BCCI CEO Rahul Johri and General Manager of Cricket Operations Saba Karim, accusing Mithali Raj of chasing after “her own milestones” and not playing for the team. The Indian women's cricket coach Ramesh Powar also spoke about having a "strained" relationship with Mithali Raj but insisted that her omission from the semifinal squad was based solely on cricketing logic, a BCCI board official has claimed.