Cricket in 2018: 5 Biggest controversies of the year

2. The Powar-Mithali mishap

This very well seemed like a sequel to the Anil Kumble – Virat Kohli debacle, but with a different plot and different lead characters. Fans got a first sight at the disturbances happening behind the scenes in Indian women’s cricket when Mithali Raj was dropped for the all-important T20 World Cup semi-final against England a few weeks ago, a game India eventually lost.

A day after Mithali had accused team’s interim head coach Ramesh Powar of being “biased and discriminating”, Powar was quick to pounce, saying Mithali was “Aloof and difficult to handle”. Tantrums kept floating around with BCCI putting one leg each on two boats travelling in different directions.

A couple of nights later, T20I skipper Harmanpreet Kaur and opener Smriti Mandhana had requested the board to not sack Powar despite all the mishap. Eventually, former Indian cricketer, WV Raman was appointed the coach with BCCI not preferring to give an extension to Powar’s contract. One thing that has been under-said during the whole Pawar Era was the improvement in their performance and a drastic surge of media and fans attention.