For what is being described as a landmark move, the Board of Control for Cricket in India has brought in three specialist women’s coaching appointments for its Centre of Excellence in Bengaluru. The new set of coaches—Nooshin Al Khadeer, Sunetra Paranjpe and Vellaswamy Ramu Vanitha—will take charge of bowling, batting and fielding respectively at the facility that was previously known as the National Cricket Academy.
BCCI Centre of Excellence adds specialist women’s coaches
The Bengaluru Centre of Excellence is led on the cricket side by former India batter VVS Laxman, who serves as Head of Cricket. While the BCCI has repeatedly turned to ex-cricketers for coaching roles at the CoE, this is the first occasion when a group of former India women’s players has been recruited specifically as specialist coaches for women’s cricket at the world-class venue.
- Nooshin Al Khadeer appointed as bowling coach
- Sunetra Paranjpe appointed as batting coach
- Vellaswamy Ramu Vanitha appointed as fielding coach
Coaching trio: playing backgrounds and leadership experience
Nooshin Al Khadeer (bowling)
Nooshin, an off-spin bowler during her playing days, represented India in five Women’s Tests, taking 14 wickets at an average of 26.64. She also featured in 78 Women’s ODIs, collecting 100 wickets at 24.02, and played two T20 Internationals for India, picking up one wicket at 41.00 between 2002 and 2012. She later moved into youth coaching and served as the head coach of India’s Under-19 Women’s teams that won the U-19 Women’s T20 World Cups in 2023 and 2025.
Sunetra Paranjpe (batting)
Sunetra Paranjpe, a former India allrounder, played three Women’s Tests and 28 Women’s ODIs from 2002 to 2007. Her coaching career includes a three-season stint as head coach of the Mumbai women’s team. During her time with Mumbai, the franchise won Women’s domestic T20 titles in consecutive seasons—2023-24 and 2024-25. Before joining Mumbai, she also served as head coach of Baroda for three seasons.
Vanitha ‘VR’ (fielding)
Vanitha, widely known as ‘VR’, played as a batter, featuring in six Women’s ODIs and 16 Women’s T20Is between 2014 and 2016. Her appointment rounds out the three-pronged specialist structure for the women’s coaching setup at the Bengaluru CoE.
Support from the former captain and broader coaching changes
Former India women’s team captain Diana Edulji welcomed the decision to bring three former India players into coaching roles at the CoE. In her view, the move reflects how much women’s cricket has progressed in India and underlines that the board is treating the pathway for women’s players with seriousness. Edulji also linked the development to the momentum created after India’s maiden Women’s World Cup title success last year. She added that the trio can strengthen India’s bench depth in the coming years, noting that such coaches are likely to travel with India A, the Emerging women’s team, and India Under-19 squads during tours.
- Edulji described the appointments as a positive step for the growth of women’s cricket in India.
- She highlighted the intent to build future squad depth through roles with India A, the Emerging group and Under-19 tours.
- She connected the announcement to the broader rise following India’s first Women’s World Cup triumph last year.
Alongside the women’s specialists, the BCCI has also added three fast-bowling coaching appointments at the CoE. Former India pacer Lakshmipathy Balaji and P Krishna Kumar—previously a first-class pacer—have been brought in as fast-bowling coaches. For batting, the board has hired former Karnataka batter Yere Goud as the batting coach. Meanwhile, former Rajasthan wicketkeeper Dishant Yagnik has taken over responsibilities as the fielding coach at the CoE.
Women’s England tour schedule and a new men’s team appointment
While the coaching structure expands at home, the Indian women’s team is currently in England for a tour expected to last close to two months. The itinerary includes a landmark one-off Women’s Test at Lord’s Cricket Ground in London, with the match scheduled from July 10 to July 13.
The 2026 Women’s T20 World Cup is set to begin on June 12. England will open the tournament against Sri Lanka at Birmingham on the first night. India will start their campaign against their traditional rivals, Pakistan, on June 14 at Birmingham.
- Group stage opponents for India: Netherlands, South Africa, Bangladesh and Australia
- India’s opening match: vs Pakistan on June 14 at Birmingham
- England’s tournament opener: vs Sri Lanka at Birmingham on June 12
- Women’s Test at Lord’s: scheduled for July 10 to July 13
As part of the England tour, India’s women’s team will also play a T20 warm-up match against the ECB Development XI. The fixture—Team India vs ECB Development XI—is set for Monday at the Ambassador Cruise Line Ground in Chelmsford. Training under lights is scheduled at the same venue on Tuesday.
In another appointment that has been framed as a first, Jammu & Kashmir Cricket Association’s Rajesh Dhar has been named by the BCCI as the manager for a short home series. The set includes a one-off Test at New Chandigarh and three ODIs in June for the Afghanistan series.
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