By a Staff Reporter
Kathmandu – The Cricket Association of Nepal (CAN) has appointed a foreign coach for the Nepal National Women’s Cricket Team for the very first time.
Devika Palshikar, a former Indian cricketer, has been chosen to serve as the first-ever foreign coach for the Women’s Team. Her appointment comes ahead of the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup Asia Qualifiers, scheduled to take place in Malaysia later this month.
Palshikar arrived in Kathmandu on Saturday and commenced her duties as the batting coach on Sunday. Due to wet outfield conditions, her initial session was held indoors.
With 1 test and 15 ODI matches under her belt as an Indian cricketer, Palshikar brings a wealth of experience to the role. Prior to joining the Nepal Women’s Team, she served as the batting coach for the Mumbai Indians, the Women’s Premier League (WPL) champions.
Palshikar’s coaching journey also includes working as an assistant coach for the Indian and Bangladesh national teams. She spent two years as an assistant coach for India from 2014 to 2016, followed by her stint as an assistant coach for Bangladesh in 2018.
Remarkably, this marks the first instance of a foreign coach being appointed for any form of the Nepal Women’s Team since its inception in 2007. Previously, Nepali coaches, including Binod Das, Jagat Tamata, and Samson Jung Thapa, have taken charge of the team.
The upcoming ICC Women’s T20 World Cup Asia Qualifiers in Malaysia will feature Nepal, alongside hosts Malaysia, Bahrain, Bhutan, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), and Qatar in Group ‘A’. Similarly, Group ‘B’ includes China, Hong Kong, Kuwait, Thailand, and Myanmar. The top two teams from each group will progress to the semi-finals, and the two finalists will earn a spot in the Global Qualifiers. The tournament will take place from August 31 to September 9.
To prepare for the tournament, CAN has announced a 24-member preliminary squad and a closed training camp has already begun.
Preliminary Squad:
Rubina Chhetry (Captain), Sita Rana Magar, Indu Barma, Apsari Begam, Kabita Kunwar, Kabita Joshi, Ashmina Karmacharya, Ishwori Bista, Kritika Marasini, Bindu Rawal, Neri Thapa, Kajol Shrestha, Samjhana Khadka, Saraswoti Chaudhary, Sneha Mahara, Shristi Jaisi, Kanchan Shrestha, Roma Thapa, Sabnam Rai, Puja Mahato, Khusi Dongol, Manisha Chaudhary, Jyoti Pandey, and Ruby Poddar.
Exclusive Short Interview with Devieka Palshikar after her first training session: