India Women set to appoint first foreign strength and conditioning coach after maiden World Cup glory

India Women set to appoint first foreign strength and conditioning coach

The World Cup-winning India Women’s cricket team is set to welcome its first-ever foreign strength and conditioning (S&C) coach in the near future. The BCCI has been strengthening its Centre of Excellence (CoE) in Bengaluru, recently adding several professionals to the S&C department to enhance the fitness framework across national and developmental 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 likely to join the CoE soon. India’s current women’s S&C coach, Al Harrsha, has done an outstanding job, playing a vital role in the team’s historic World Cup triumph, but it is understood that the board may have different assignments planned for him within its expanding structure.

Kiely brings a wealth of experience, having worked with the Bangladesh national team and previously served as an assistant coach for New South Wales, one of Australia’s leading first-class sides. Typically, the S&C coaches stationed at the CoE rotate between assignments with India’s senior men’s and women’s teams, pathway programs, and age-group squads, according to an India Today report.

Until now, the women’s S&C coaches have all been India-based, but if Kiely officially joins, he would become the first overseas fitness expert to work with the Indian women’s setup.

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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