Former South Africa batsman Gary Kirsten applies for position of Indian women's cricket team coach

Former South Africa batsman Gary Kirsten on Saturday became the latest entrant in the race for the post of the India women’s team coach, joining a list that contains some of the leading names in the sport. According to a report on  The Times of India, Kirsten, who had coached the MS Dhoni-led men’s team, which clinched the 2011 World Cup, had inquired about the profile of the India women’s coach before formally applying for the post. [caption id=“attachment_5082221” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  File image of Gary Kirsten. Reuters[/caption] “Yes, Gary has applied for the job,” a BCCI official was quoted as saying in the same news report. After the India stint, Kirsten coached the Proteas between 2011 and 2013. He also served as Delhi Daredevils’ coach for two seasons (2014 and 2015), and is set to join Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) in the same capacity for the 2019 edition of the tournament. Kirsten’s is the latest name in the race for the post, which became vacant after India’s semi-final finish in the ICC Women’s World T20 in November. Ramesh Powar, who was involved in a much-publicised spat with batting legend Mithali Raj after the tournament, has re-applied for the post after his contract was not renewed by the BCCI. Powar is a front-runner for the job, with T20I captain Harmanpreet Kaur and senior batswoman Smriti Mandhana having thrown their weight behind him. Among the others who have applied for the post are Mike Hesson, Dav Whatmore, Herschelle Gibbs, Manoj Prabhakar and  Dimitri Mascarenhas.