The World Cup-winning India Women’s cricket team will soon acquire its first foreign strength and conditioning (S&C) coach. The BCCI has been developing its Centre of Excellence (CoE) in Bengaluru, most recently adding numerous specialists to the S&C department to improve the fitness framework for national and development teams.
According to BCCI sources, Nathan Kiely, the current Bangladesh men’s team S&C coach, is in advanced talks with the Indian board and is expected to join the CoE shortly. Al Harrsha, India’s current women’s S&C coach, has done an excellent job, playing a key role in the team’s historic World Cup victory, but it is known that the board may have other assignments for him within its expanding structure.
Kiely has extensive expertise, having worked with the Bangladesh national team and earlier as an assistant coach for New South Wales, one of Australia’s top first-class teams. According to India Today, S&C coaches stationed at the CoE often alternate between assignments with India’s senior men’s and women’s teams, pathway programs, and age-group squads.
Until far, all of the women’s S&C coaches have been based in India, but if Kiely formally joins, he will be the first international fitness expert to work with the India women team.
The Indian men’s team, meanwhile, continues under the guidance of Adrian Le Roux, who is currently in his second stint as head S&C coach. In addition, the CoE has recently hired two new in-house coaches, Pratyush Agrawal and Amit Vengurlekar, both of whom edged out several experienced state-level candidates. Agrawal previously served as an assistant S&C coach with Delhi Capitals (DC), while Vengurlekar held a similar role with Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) in the IPL.
As for the Indian women’s team, they enjoyed a remarkable World Cup campaign, finishing fourth in the group stage before defeating Australia in the semi-final, thanks to Jemimah Rodrigues’ brilliant knock. In the final, the Women in Blue produced a dominant performance to beat South Africa Women by 52 runs, clinching their maiden World Cup title and etching a new chapter in Indian cricket history.
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