'The past is gone by, you cannot go back': Mithali Raj looking forward to work with Ramesh Powar

Ramesh Powar was named as the new head coach of the Indian women’s cricket team recently. He replaced WV Raman at the position as the team builds towards the 2022 Cricket World Cup. The former India spinner returns to the position after leaving the post three years ago. However, in 2018, there was a lot of controversy as senior batsman Mithali Raj had accused Powar of discrimination and bias during the T20 World Cup.

Raj had written a letter to BCCI where she accused the Powar of humiliating her. Raj was left out of the playing XI during the World T20 semi-final against England, which India lost.

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With Powar coming back as the head coach, Raj is looking forward to working with him as she maintains the ‘past is gone by’.

"The past is gone by. You cannot go back. I am sure he (Ramesh Powar) will come up with plans and we together will steer the ship,” Mithali Raj said in a chat with The Hindu.

"We will work in tandem and build a very strong team for the future, especially with the World Cup scheduled next year," added Mithali Raj.

Raj also talked about the Day/Night Test match that India is going to play against Australia later this year.

“For all the youngsters in the team, and even for someone like me who played a Test match seven years ago, there is no baggage to carry. We have not played the format for such a long time and hence can play with an open mind,” said Mithali Raj.

“It is good to see that this Test will be followed by a pink-ball Test in Australia later this year. My personal opinion is that we should have continuity in playing Test matches. I believe that all three formats can exist together in women’s cricket and players need to enjoy all of them,” added Mithali Raj.