WV Raman, the departing head coach of the Indian Women’s national cricket team, has claimed that a “smear campaign” against him has gained undeserved pace, and he has requested BCCI president Sourav Ganguly to put a stop to it. In an email to National Cricket Academy head Rahul Dravid, Raman stated that it would be “very disturbing” if his candidacy was rejected for grounds other than “my incompetence as a coach.”
Raman was not retained as the senior women’s team’s head coach by the Cricket Advisory Committee (CAC), which chose Ramesh Powar for the position.
“I presume you might have been told different views about my style of functioning and work ethic,” Raman wrote in his email. “Whether those views conveyed to the officials of the BCCI had any impact on my candidature is of no consequence now. What is important is that the smear campaign seems to have gained some unwarranted traction with some BCCI officials which needs to be halted permanently. I am prepared to give an explanation should you or any of the office bearers require it,” he added.
Raman stated that there was no debate if his application was denied due to “incompetence” as a coach, but he voiced worry about the participation of other factors.
While Raman’s letter did not identify anyone in the letter, it is assumed that he was writing about the team’s star culture, which he believes is doing more harm than good.
