INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
India have yet to win a women's World Cup or World T20 competitionFormer India batsman WV Raman has been appointed as the new coach of the
India women's team, who lost in the semi-finals of the recent World Twenty20.The 53-year-old, who played 11 Tests and 27 one-day
internationals from 1988-97, replaces Ramesh Powar.Raman has coached India U19, Bengal and Tamil Nadu in the Ranji Trophy and becomes the
fourth coach of the women's team within the last 20 months.Gary Kirsten was the preferred choice but was not able to accept the post.A
committee comprising former India internationals Anshuman Gaekwad, Kapil Dev and Shantha Rangswamy recommended ex-South Africa batsman
Kirsten to the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI).But Kirsten - who coached the India men's team to success at the 2011 World
Cup, before a two-year spell in charge of his native South Africa, was not prepared to leave his post as head coach of Indian Premier League
side Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB).Raman was the second choice, with former India fast bowler Venkatesh Prasad, who has worked as
India's men's bowling coach and has also coached with Kings XI Punjab and RCB, the third recommended candidate.India are currently third
in the women's world ODI rankings and fifth in the T20 category.They lost to England by eight wickets in their World T20 semi-final in
Antigua last month.Ex-India off-spinner Powar - who was recently involved in a public row with veteran star batter Mithali Raj over her
exclusion from the team for that semi-final, after a series of emails were leaked to the media - reapplied for the coach's role, but was
not in the top three preferred candidates.
