Australia batters held their nerve to beat India by 4 wickets in a low-scoring thriller at the Carrara Oval on Saturday. The home side chased the target of 119 in the 19.1 overs to seal the multi-format series with one match to spare. Australia won the ODI series 2-1, drew the Test and now this win in the second T20I has handed them the series.

Tahlia McGrath was the architect of this win for Australia as she scored an unbeaten 42, opener Beth Mooney also played a valuable inning of 34 for the home side. For India, Rajeshwari Gayakwad scalped three wickets while Shikha Pandey, Harmanpreet Kaur and Deepti Sharma returned with one wicket apiece.

ALSO READ |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/ian-botham-questions-england-desire-for-ultimate-ashes-test-418714">Ian Botham questions England desire for 'ultimate' Ashes Test</a>

Earlier put into bat, a brilliant Pooja Vastrakar cameo masked a fairly disappointing show from India. After Tayla Vlaeminck removed both openers inside the first three overs, the Aussies ran riot. It was an Indian innings characterised by poor shot selection and calamitous running between the wickets. But the Vastrakar cameo (top-scoring with 37* off 26) certainly kept them in the contest.

Chasing 119 to seal victory in the multi-format series, Australia was dealt a huge blow in the first over when a sensational ball by Shikha Pandey beat Alyssa Healy in both swing and seam movement. Healy walked back on 4 off 2. Beth Mooney was then joined by Meg Lanning on the pitch and the duo made sure the home side didn't lose any more wickets in the powerplay. Australia`s score read 33/1 after the first six overs.

In the very next over, Meg Lanning was removed by Pooja Vastrakar after the Aussie captain edged to Richa Ghosh. Lanning walked back after scoring 15 off 20 balls. Wickets kept falling for the home side, as India captain Harmanpreet Kaur struck in the 8th over and dismissed Ashleigh Gardner for 1.

Things went from bad to worse for Australia when their star all-rounder Ellyse Perry walked back to the dressing room in the 10th over, after Deepti Sharma struck for visitors. At the halfway mark in the innings, Australia's score read 53/4.Tahlia McGrath then joined Beth Mooney on the pitch and the pair started rebuilding for the home side.

However, Rajeshwari Gayakwad broke the partnership in the 14th over after she removed the dangerous-looking Mooney. The Aussie opener walked back after scoring 34 off 36 balls.

ALSO READ:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/joe-root-confirms-participation-england-committed-to-ashes-series-report-418748">Joe Root confirms participation, England committed to Ashes series: Report</a>

Gayakwad struck again in the 17th over as she removed Nicola Carey. With the match looking to go down the wire, Tahlia McGrath and Georgia Wareham took no chances as the pair amassed 11 runs in the 18th over and followed it by 13 runs in the next six balls, which almost sealed the win for Australia.

In the last over, McGrath took one run and won the multi-format series for Australia.

Brief Scores: India 118/9 (Pooja Vastrakar 37*, Harmanpreet Kaur 28; Sophie Molineux 2-11) vs Australia 119/6 (Tahlia McGrath 42*, Beth Mooney 34; Rajeshwari Gayakwad 3-21).

Australia batters held their nerve to beat India by 4 wickets in a low-scoring thriller at the Carrara Oval on Saturday. The home side chased the target of 119 in the 19.

Australia batters held their nerve to beat India by 4 wickets in a low-scoring thriller at the Carrara Oval on Saturday. The home side chased the target of 119 in the 19.1 overs to seal the multi-format series with one match to spare. Australia won the ODI series 2-1, drew the Test and now this win in the second T20I has handed them the series. Tahlia McGrath was the architect of this win for Australia as she scored an unbeaten 42, opener Beth Mooney also played a valuable inning of 34 for the home side. For India, Rajeshwari Gayakwad scalped three wickets while Shikha Pandey, Harmanpreet Kaur and Deepti Sharma returned with one wicket apiece. ALSO READ | Ian Botham questions England desire for 'ultimate' Ashes Test Earlier put into bat, a brilliant Pooja Vastrakar cameo masked a fairly disappointing show from India. After Tayla Vlaeminck removed both openers inside the first three overs, the Aussies ran riot. It was an Indian innings characterised by poor shot selection and calamitous running between the wickets. But the Vastrakar cameo (top-scoring with 37* off 26) certainly kept them in the contest. Chasing 119 to seal victory in the multi-format series, Australia was dealt a huge blow in the first over when a sensational ball by Shikha Pandey beat Alyssa Healy in both swing and seam movement. Healy walked back on 4 off 2. Beth Mooney was then joined by Meg Lanning on the pitch and the duo made sure the home side didn't lose any more wickets in the powerplay. Australia`s score read 33/1 after the first six overs. In the very next over, Meg Lanning was removed by Pooja Vastrakar after the Aussie captain edged to Richa Ghosh. Lanning walked back after scoring 15 off 20 balls. Wickets kept falling for the home side, as India captain Harmanpreet Kaur struck in the 8th over and dismissed Ashleigh Gardner for 1. Things went from bad to worse for Australia when their star all-rounder Ellyse Perry walked back to the dressing room in the 10th over, after Deepti Sharma struck for visitors. At the halfway mark in the innings, Australia's score read 53/4.Tahlia McGrath then joined Beth Mooney on the pitch and the pair started rebuilding for the home side. However, Rajeshwari Gayakwad broke the partnership in the 14th over after she removed the dangerous-looking Mooney. The Aussie opener walked back after scoring 34 off 36 balls. ALSO READ: Joe Root confirms participation, England committed to Ashes series: Report Gayakwad struck again in the 17th over as she removed Nicola Carey. With the match looking to go down the wire, Tahlia McGrath and Georgia Wareham took no chances as the pair amassed 11 runs in the 18th over and followed it by 13 runs in the next six balls, which almost sealed the win for Australia. In the last over, McGrath took one run and won the multi-format series for Australia. Brief Scores: India 118/9 (Pooja Vastrakar 37*, Harmanpreet Kaur 28; Sophie Molineux 2-11) vs Australia 119/6 (Tahlia McGrath 42*, Beth Mooney 34; Rajeshwari Gayakwad 3-21).

Tahila McGrath holds nerve as Australia clinch T20 series with 4-wicket win against Harmanpreet Kaur & Co.

Jhulan Goswami (2/27) and Pooja Vastrakar (2/31) sparkled on day three of the pink-ball Test at Metricon Stadium as Australia finished at 143/4 in 60 overs, trailing India by 234 runs and requiring 85 to avoid the follow-on.

Ellyse Perry (batting on 27) and Ashleigh Gardner (batting on 13) ensured that Australia didn't suffer more damage by batting out the 10.2 overs left in the first full day of play in the Test match.

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/all-rounder-ellyse-perry-becomes-first-australian-woman-to-pick-up-300-wickets-417670">All-rounder Ellyse Perry becomes first Australian woman to pick up 300 wickets</a>

After India declared their innings at 377/8, Jhulan gave the tourists a great start by hitting the top of Beth Mooney's off-stump as the batter tried to swing through the leg-side. Alyssa Healy and Meg Lanning stitched a 49-run partnership for the second wicket before Jhulan had Alyssa nicking behind keeper Taniya Bhatia in her second spell.

In the final session, Pooja had Meg dismissed with an lbw with a nip-backer. Replays suggested that there was an inside edge, but with no DRS in the Test, a displeased Meg had to march back to the pavilion. 17 overs later, Pooja had her second wicket of the day with Tahlia McGrath cutting straight to point.

Earlier, Deepti Sharma raised her half-century to carry forward the pace of scoring runs for India. She and Taniya Bhatia had an association of 45 runs stand in 170 balls to take India beyond 300. Taniya was the first wicket to fall in the day, becoming teenage pacer Stella Campbell`s first Test wicket after an outside edge carried to keeper Alyssa.

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/sri-lankan-womens-team-to-tour-pakistan-ahead-of-womens-world-cup-global-qualifier-report-417503">Sri Lankan women's team to tour Pakistan ahead of women's World Cup global qualifier: Report</a>

Pooja joined Deepti to take India past 350. During the 40-run association, Deepti registered yet another half-century, her second in three innings. Ellyse clinched her 300th wicket in international cricket as Pooja edged to a diving Beth at gully on the stroke of the dinner break. Taking Pooja`s wicket in the 143rd over of India`s innings made Perry the first woman to do the double of 300 wickets and 5,000 runs in international cricket. 
 
In the over immediately after the dinner break, Deepti hit Stella for back-to-back fours before Stella struck to take her second wicket of the match by trapping the left-hander lbw for 66. The visitors batted for eight more balls before declaring their innings at 377/8 in 145 overs. 
 
With just one day left in the Test, the possibility of draw looms high. 
 
Brief scores: India 377/8 declared in 145 overs (Smriti Mandhana 127, Deepti Sharma 66, Sophie Molineux 2/45, Stella Campbell 2/47) against Australia Women 143/4 in 60 overs (Meg Lanning 38, Alyssa Healy 29, Jhulan Goswami 2/27, Pooja Vastrakar 2/31), Australia women trail by 234 runs.

Jhulan Goswami (2/27) and Pooja Vastrakar (2/31) sparkled on day three of the pink-ball Test at Metricon Stadium as Australia finished at 143/4 in 60 overs, trailing India by 234 runs and requiring 85 to avoid the follow-on.

Jhulan Goswami (2/27) and Pooja Vastrakar (2/31) sparkled on day three of the pink-ball Test at Metricon Stadium as Australia finished at 143/4 in 60 overs, trailing India by 234 runs and requiring 85 to avoid the follow-on. Ellyse Perry (batting on 27) and Ashleigh Gardner (batting on 13) ensured that Australia didn't suffer more damage by batting out the 10.2 overs left in the first full day of play in the Test match. Also read: All-rounder Ellyse Perry becomes first Australian woman to pick up 300 wickets After India declared their innings at 377/8, Jhulan gave the tourists a great start by hitting the top of Beth Mooney's off-stump as the batter tried to swing through the leg-side. Alyssa Healy and Meg Lanning stitched a 49-run partnership for the second wicket before Jhulan had Alyssa nicking behind keeper Taniya Bhatia in her second spell. In the final session, Pooja had Meg dismissed with an lbw with a nip-backer. Replays suggested that there was an inside edge, but with no DRS in the Test, a displeased Meg had to march back to the pavilion. 17 overs later, Pooja had her second wicket of the day with Tahlia McGrath cutting straight to point. Earlier, Deepti Sharma raised her half-century to carry forward the pace of scoring runs for India. She and Taniya Bhatia had an association of 45 runs stand in 170 balls to take India beyond 300. Taniya was the first wicket to fall in the day, becoming teenage pacer Stella Campbell`s first Test wicket after an outside edge carried to keeper Alyssa. Also read: Sri Lankan women's team to tour Pakistan ahead of women's World Cup global qualifier: Report Pooja joined Deepti to take India past 350. During the 40-run association, Deepti registered yet another half-century, her second in three innings. Ellyse clinched her 300th wicket in international cricket as Pooja edged to a diving Beth at gully on the stroke of the dinner break. Taking Pooja`s wicket in the 143rd over of India`s innings made Perry the first woman to do the double of 300 wickets and 5,000 runs in international cricket. In the over immediately after the dinner break, Deepti hit Stella for back-to-back fours before Stella struck to take her second wicket of the match by trapping the left-hander lbw for 66. The visitors batted for eight more balls before declaring their innings at 377/8 in 145 overs. With just one day left in the Test, the possibility of draw looms high. Brief scores: India 377/8 declared in 145 overs (Smriti Mandhana 127, Deepti Sharma 66, Sophie Molineux 2/45, Stella Campbell 2/47) against Australia Women 143/4 in 60 overs (Meg Lanning 38, Alyssa Healy 29, Jhulan Goswami 2/27, Pooja Vastrakar 2/31), Australia women trail by 234 runs.

Pink-ball Test: Australia finish day three at 143/4, trail India by 234 runs

India Women cricket team is heavily depended on spinners in the middle overs and even the bowlers have performed at par in the series against New Zealand’s White Ferns, ODI skipper Mithali Raj said on the eve of the three-match T20I series, beginning on February 6.

Spinners, who adapted to challenging conditions in the Kiwiland, helped the touring side clinch the ODI series by 2-1. Ekta Bisht (3, 32) (2, 14) (0, 29), Deepti Sharma (2, 27) (2, 51) (0, 19) and&nbsp;Poonam Yadav&nbsp;(3, 42) (2, 38) (1, 31) worked in tandem to run through the Kiwi batting in the three matches.

"It is good to see spinners bowling very well in the series because it is something lot of people have asked me earlier — how the spinners are going to be effective on this soil, in these conditions."&nbsp;

India definitely has heavily depended on spinners in the middle overs and they have not disappointed in the series because when it came to the first two games, they controlled the middle overs and got those wickets for us," Mithali told ANI.

With the third game against White Ferns on February 1, Mithali became the first-ever woman cricketer to play 200 one-day internationals.

The 36-year-old, who has seen the hard difficult days when women's cricket was not given the due, considers herself fortunate and grateful to have come so far, saying, "I have never seen this coming when I first took up the bat but yes it has always been an honour and pride to represent the country for so many years and seeing women's cricket go through the transition."

"I have had made my debut under the WCI, now we are under the BCCI. Today where women cricketers are, I think young children can look up to them as role models. The standard in women’s game has improved vastly coming from say 150 to 200 to 300 total, it will only get better and better," she said.

"I am thankful to all those people who have had played an important part in shaping my career. I will continue to invest in those reasons or the factors that have kept me going all these years whether it is adapting to different conditions or situations and of course the responsibility of the team. I have seen highs and lows, which I believe is part of a long career," Mithali said.

India managed only one win when they last visited New Zealand in 2006, the first time the teams had ever played a bilateral ODI series in the Kiwiland. Now 13 years later, the only remaining players who can link to the tour of 2006 are India's two top cricketers Mithali&nbsp;and&nbsp;Jhulan Goswami.

Coming with a relatively new team and new setup, Mithali said, "Coming after 11 or 12 years a lot has changed over the years in terms of players, coming under the BCCI, under the ICC.

The number of matches which has increased has only helped players who kind of have a form can continue it and players who are in search of a form will always have more matches that they can always get back to."

The ODI skipper wanted to clean sweep the series by 3-0 as that would have put India Women at number two in the rankings. However, as the team still has two more series, Mithali is hopeful to gather more points.

India are slated to play three ODIs, part of ICC Women's Championship, and three T20Is against England.

The series will be hosted at the Wankhede Stadium&nbsp;in Mumbai on February 22, 25 and 28. The T20I series will be played at the&nbsp;Barsapara Cricket Stadium&nbsp;in Guwahati on March 4, 7 and 9.

"We are playing England at home, conditions will be favouring us. England are a good side, one of the top teams and they will give us a good fight. The Indian team is in a good form, momentum that we would love to carry in our home series."&nbsp;

India Women and Men will begin their T20I double-header series against New Zealand's White Ferns and Black Caps on February 6 at the Westpac Stadium in Wellington.&nbsp;

India Women cricket team is heavily depended on spinners in the middle overs and even the bowlers have performed at par in the series against New Zealand’s White Ferns, ODI skipper Mithali Raj said on the eve of the three-match T20I series, beginning on February 6.

India Women cricket team is heavily depended on spinners in the middle overs and even the bowlers have performed at par in the series against New Zealand’s White Ferns, ODI skipper Mithali Raj said on the eve of the three-match T20I series, beginning on February 6. Spinners, who adapted to challenging conditions in the Kiwiland, helped the touring side clinch the ODI series by 2-1. Ekta Bisht (3, 32) (2, 14) (0, 29), Deepti Sharma (2, 27) (2, 51) (0, 19) and Poonam Yadav (3, 42) (2, 38) (1, 31) worked in tandem to run through the Kiwi batting in the three matches. "It is good to see spinners bowling very well in the series because it is something lot of people have asked me earlier — how the spinners are going to be effective on this soil, in these conditions." India definitely has heavily depended on spinners in the middle overs and they have not disappointed in the series because when it came to the first two games, they controlled the middle overs and got those wickets for us," Mithali told ANI. With the third game against White Ferns on February 1, Mithali became the first-ever woman cricketer to play 200 one-day internationals. The 36-year-old, who has seen the hard difficult days when women's cricket was not given the due, considers herself fortunate and grateful to have come so far, saying, "I have never seen this coming when I first took up the bat but yes it has always been an honour and pride to represent the country for so many years and seeing women's cricket go through the transition." "I have had made my debut under the WCI, now we are under the BCCI. Today where women cricketers are, I think young children can look up to them as role models. The standard in women’s game has improved vastly coming from say 150 to 200 to 300 total, it will only get better and better," she said. "I am thankful to all those people who have had played an important part in shaping my career. I will continue to invest in those reasons or the factors that have kept me going all these years whether it is adapting to different conditions or situations and of course the responsibility of the team. I have seen highs and lows, which I believe is part of a long career," Mithali said. India managed only one win when they last visited New Zealand in 2006, the first time the teams had ever played a bilateral ODI series in the Kiwiland. Now 13 years later, the only remaining players who can link to the tour of 2006 are India's two top cricketers Mithali and Jhulan Goswami. Coming with a relatively new team and new setup, Mithali said, "Coming after 11 or 12 years a lot has changed over the years in terms of players, coming under the BCCI, under the ICC. The number of matches which has increased has only helped players who kind of have a form can continue it and players who are in search of a form will always have more matches that they can always get back to." The ODI skipper wanted to clean sweep the series by 3-0 as that would have put India Women at number two in the rankings. However, as the team still has two more series, Mithali is hopeful to gather more points. India are slated to play three ODIs, part of ICC Women's Championship, and three T20Is against England. The series will be hosted at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai on February 22, 25 and 28. The T20I series will be played at the Barsapara Cricket Stadium in Guwahati on March 4, 7 and 9. "We are playing England at home, conditions will be favouring us. England are a good side, one of the top teams and they will give us a good fight. The Indian team is in a good form, momentum that we would love to carry in our home series." India Women and Men will begin their T20I double-header series against New Zealand's White Ferns and Black Caps on February 6 at the Westpac Stadium in Wellington.

Team is dependent on spinners, they control middle overs: Mithali Raj

The acrimonious end to coach Ramesh Powar's tenure Monday split the Indian women's cricket team with T20 captain Harmanpreet Kaur and her deputy Smriti Mandhana demanding his return despite senior player <a href="http://www.wionews.com/sports/few-people-in-power-are-out-to-destroy-me-says-mithali-raj-179751">Mithali Raj's fallout with him</a>.&nbsp;

Committee of Administrators (COA) chairman Vinod Rai told PTI that Harmanpreet and Smriti have backed Powar to continue as coach till 2021. Powar's interim tenure ended on November 30 and the BCCI has already invited fresh applications for the job. Powar is free to re-apply.&nbsp;

"Yes, they have written a letter stating that they want Ramesh Powar to continue," Rai said.

Though Harmanpreet and Smriti are for Powar's extension, it is learnt that Ekta Bisht and Mansi Joshi are against his reinstatement along with ODI captain Mithali.&nbsp;

Powar's term ended a week after India lost the semifinals of the World T20 to England. The team management dropped Mithali for the knock-out fixture, triggering a huge controversy.

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/sports/darkest-day-of-my-life-says-mithali-raj-after-coach-says-she-created-chaos-in-side-180166">Mithali</a> went on to accuse Powar and COA member Diana Edulji of trying to destroy her and having a bias against her.&nbsp;

Powar, on his part, accused Mithali of threatening to retire midway into the World T20 after being denied the opening slot and creating chaos in the team.&nbsp;

On Monday, things became more dramatic with Harmanpreet throwing her weight behind the former spinner.&nbsp;

"I, as the T20 captain and ODI vice-captain is appealing before you to allow Powar to further continue as our team coach. There are hardly 15 months for the next T20 World Cup and a month to go for the New Zealand tour. The way he has transformed us as a team, I feel no reason to replace him," Harmanpreet wrote in the letter which is in PTI's possession.

In the letter, which is also addressed to BCCI office-bearers, Harmanpreet and Smriti said the team has improved significantly since Powar was appointed full-time coach in August.&nbsp;

"Our defeat in the semi-finals was very disheartening and it brings us all to feel more miserable to see how the controversies has stained our image and questioned the entire cricket fraternity," Harmanpreet said.

"Sir Ramesh Powar not only improved us as players but did motivate us to set targets and challenge our own limits. He has changed the face of Indian women's cricket team both technically and strategically. He has inculcated in us the sense of winning."

The star batswoman also reiterated that dropping Mithali was a decision of the team management.

"With regard to the exclusion of Mithali Raj, Sir Ramesh Powar was not single handedly responsible. The decision was entirely based on the cricketing logics and observations from the past.&nbsp;

"Keeping in mind the need of the hour where me, Smriti, the selector (Sudha Shah) and the coach together in the presence of our manager felt that we should go ahead with the winning combination.&nbsp;

"And I believe it should have come to your understanding that the intent was not personal but entirely based for the welfare of the team."

Harmanpreet added that a change of coach at this juncture will hamper the team's growth.

"Another change of coach will effect our growth and we will have to start from the scratch. And whatever may be the reason for Ramesh Sir's and Mithali Raj's conflicts, they should solve it across the table like a family and call it truce. This will provide more sense and security to them and the entire team."

Mandhana too endorsed Harmanpreet's view on the controversial matter, saying Powar has made them better cricketers.

"Since the introduction of Powar, he along with the support staff has boosted our confidence as a team which has helped us win 14 consecutive T20 matches. He changed the intent of the players and gave everyone confidence," the opener wrote.&nbsp;

The deadline for applying for the coach's job ends on December 14 and the BCCI is looking for a high-profile candidate to fill the vacancy.

The acrimonious end to coach Ramesh Powar's tenure Monday split the Indian women's cricket team with T20 captain Harmanpreet Kaur and her deputy Smriti Mandhana demanding his return despite senior player Mithali Raj's fallout with him.

The acrimonious end to coach Ramesh Powar's tenure Monday split the Indian women's cricket team with T20 captain Harmanpreet Kaur and her deputy Smriti Mandhana demanding his return despite senior player Mithali Raj's fallout with him. Committee of Administrators (COA) chairman Vinod Rai told PTI that Harmanpreet and Smriti have backed Powar to continue as coach till 2021. Powar's interim tenure ended on November 30 and the BCCI has already invited fresh applications for the job. Powar is free to re-apply. "Yes, they have written a letter stating that they want Ramesh Powar to continue," Rai said. Though Harmanpreet and Smriti are for Powar's extension, it is learnt that Ekta Bisht and Mansi Joshi are against his reinstatement along with ODI captain Mithali. Powar's term ended a week after India lost the semifinals of the World T20 to England. The team management dropped Mithali for the knock-out fixture, triggering a huge controversy. Mithali went on to accuse Powar and COA member Diana Edulji of trying to destroy her and having a bias against her. Powar, on his part, accused Mithali of threatening to retire midway into the World T20 after being denied the opening slot and creating chaos in the team. On Monday, things became more dramatic with Harmanpreet throwing her weight behind the former spinner. "I, as the T20 captain and ODI vice-captain is appealing before you to allow Powar to further continue as our team coach. There are hardly 15 months for the next T20 World Cup and a month to go for the New Zealand tour. The way he has transformed us as a team, I feel no reason to replace him," Harmanpreet wrote in the letter which is in PTI's possession. In the letter, which is also addressed to BCCI office-bearers, Harmanpreet and Smriti said the team has improved significantly since Powar was appointed full-time coach in August. "Our defeat in the semi-finals was very disheartening and it brings us all to feel more miserable to see how the controversies has stained our image and questioned the entire cricket fraternity," Harmanpreet said. "Sir Ramesh Powar not only improved us as players but did motivate us to set targets and challenge our own limits. He has changed the face of Indian women's cricket team both technically and strategically. He has inculcated in us the sense of winning." The star batswoman also reiterated that dropping Mithali was a decision of the team management. "With regard to the exclusion of Mithali Raj, Sir Ramesh Powar was not single handedly responsible. The decision was entirely based on the cricketing logics and observations from the past. "Keeping in mind the need of the hour where me, Smriti, the selector (Sudha Shah) and the coach together in the presence of our manager felt that we should go ahead with the winning combination. "And I believe it should have come to your understanding that the intent was not personal but entirely based for the welfare of the team." Harmanpreet added that a change of coach at this juncture will hamper the team's growth. "Another change of coach will effect our growth and we will have to start from the scratch. And whatever may be the reason for Ramesh Sir's and Mithali Raj's conflicts, they should solve it across the table like a family and call it truce. This will provide more sense and security to them and the entire team." Mandhana too endorsed Harmanpreet's view on the controversial matter, saying Powar has made them better cricketers. "Since the introduction of Powar, he along with the support staff has boosted our confidence as a team which has helped us win 14 consecutive T20 matches. He changed the intent of the players and gave everyone confidence," the opener wrote. The deadline for applying for the coach's job ends on December 14 and the BCCI is looking for a high-profile candidate to fill the vacancy.

Harmanpreet, Smriti back Powar; women's team split on coach