Mithali Raj accuses coach Ramesh Powar of humiliating her, CoA's Diana Edulji of bias

An in-form Mithali Raj was benched for the semi-final clash against England in the T20 World Cup. The team eventually lost the match by eight wickets.

Photo courtesy: Twitter/@ICC

New Delhi: The war within the Indian women's cricket team is out in the open with veteran batsman Mithali Raj accusing Ramesh Powar - coach of the national side - of having humiliated her. She also trained her guns at Council of Administrators' member Diana Edulji of bias.

News agency PTI reported that Mithali slammed both Powar and Edulji, and said that she had been deliberately sidelined for the T20 World Cup semifinal match against England. India lost the match despite going in as favourites and benching an in-form Mithali was a decision slammed by many. "For the first time in a 20 year long career, I felt deflated, depressed and let down. I am forced to think if my services to my country are of any value to a few people in power who are out to destroy me and break my confidence," Mithali reportedly wrote in her letter. "My issues with the coach (Ramesh Powar) started immediately as we landed in the West Indies (venue for the T20 World Cup). At first there were small signs that his behaviour towards me was unfair and discriminatory but I did not bother much. To him, I didn't exist in the team."

Always reposed faith in Diana Edulji and have always respected her and her position as a member of COA, Never did I think she will use her position against me, more after hearing what I had to go through in Caribbean as I had spoken to her about it:Mithali Raj to BCCI (file pic) pic.twitter.com/zJMGvys8mR — ANI (@ANI) November 27, 2018

Her(COA member Diana Edulji) brazen support in the press with regard to the decision of my benching in the semifinal of the T20 World Cup has left me deeply distressed, more because she knows the real facts having spoken to me: Mithali Raj in a letter to BCCI https://t.co/rKfx4xPApx — ANI (@ANI) November 27, 2018

The ODI captain of the national team met top BCCI officials on Monday, along with T20I captain of the team Harmanpreet Kaur.

In the letter to BCCI, Mithali reportedly also said that while she has no animosity towards Harmanpreet, the decision to keep her in the dugout for a crucial match was 'baffling and hurtful.' Harmanpreet, on her part, had defended the decision in the post-match talk. "Whatever we decided, we decided for the team. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't, no regrets," she had said after India's eight-wicket loss to England.

For the decision though, Mithali's manager - Annisha Gupta - tore into Harmanpreet and called her "manipulative, lying, immature, undeserving captain." (Read full report here)

The bulk of the ire could now be against Powar whose term as coach of the national women's team comes to an end on November 30.