BCCI organises first-ever women's coaching course

The first-ever coaching course organised by the Indian board for women coaches is underway at the National Cricket Academy (NCA) in Bangalore. Those attending have been selected by the state associations and will take a Level A coaching test at the end of the camp.

The course, which began last week, is being attended by several former players, including Anju Jain, the former India wicketkeeper who is now national selector for the women's team. She will not be applying for any coaching jobs this year, she said, but wanted to take part to inform herself of new developments in the area. "As a former player and now as a selector, I'd like to give sensible advice to players," she told Cricinfo. "That's why I'm here."

The course is divided between interactive coaching classes and practical exercises on the field. The classes include discussions on writing a match plan, simulating a competitive match situation in the nets and safety procedures. In one class the group was divided into into five 'teams', with each given a problem to tackle in the nets - poor running between the wickets, bowlers bowling mechanically without thinking, a batsman hitting the ball in the air and getting out - and asked to come up with solutions.

The women-only course was in response to demand, said Dr Kinjal Suratwala, a member of the NCA's Sports Science department who is in charge of the coaching programme. "We have had many such courses for men. What we are concentrating on are basic skills, safety and first aid, fitness and efficient conduct of nets."

The course is seen as having various utilities. The first step is that the students take the Level A test and go back to their state associations. "Hopefully it will spread the message,' Mahua, a former Bengal and East Zone player, said. "When officials in associations realise the NCA is producing women coaches they will be willing to pick them up."

Manjula Kishore, a former South Zone player, said the main benefit would be to empower women as coaches. "It will give women cricketers the chance to extend their careers in the game. We have played the game but we don't know the fundamentals of coaching, of telling young kids how to apply what we know to their game. The point of this course is to have several full-fledged professional coaches go back into the system."

The former India opener, Arati Vaidya, believed the course would make the women's game more competitive. "When there is no proper coaching you lose good players, especially among women. That is why [qualified] people like us are important and that is why this course is important."