Tushar Arothe quit after falling out with senios players in the team. (TOI Photo)

MUMBAI: The women's ICC World T20, scheduled from November 9 this year, is less than four months away and the senior Indian team is nowhere close to finding a replacement for coach Tushar Arothe .

Arothe, a former First Class cricketer from Baroda, was asked to resign as national coach earlier this month and soon after putting in his papers, he told TOI that he was at his wit's end trying to understand what went wrong in the last one year.

Those in the know of things say "Arothe's resignation is merely a result of all the mess that surrounds a struggling national (women's) team where relationships appear fractured and factions are taking a toll".

While Arothe takes his time trying to figure what went wrong, worse it seems is heading Team India's way. "Even if a new coach is appointed at the earliest, it'll still take him or her good deal of time trying to understand the intricacies of this squad and the disharmony that exists within," say sources.

If this isn't enough, the appointment itself is expected to take its own sweet time. Women's cricket in the BCCI happens to be General Manager (Operations) Saba Karim 's responsibility and the former wicketkeeper is currently in England along with wife on an "official tour" that nobody in the Board seems to have a clue about.

"He's got some meetings," says a BCCI official but nobody else, including the members, have an idea of Karim's trip.

Karim will be returning to the country on July 30, which is why interviews for all candidates applying for the role of women's coach will be scheduled only after that date. "Even if the formalities are completed at the earliest after all candidates are interviewed, we'll still be looking at September by the time the new coach can join the team," say those in the know of things.

It's indeed a frightful thought that the national team will get a completely new coach only two months before they are scheduled to play the big tournament.

Members of the BCCI scoff at the thought that such a thing has come to pass when the day-to-day administration of the Board is being looked into by a former India women's captain (read: CoA member Diana Eduljee).

In all the blame-game that the CoA has been involved in with members of the BCCI, it is clear that their coach-appointment policy has clearly been a disturbed one. The appointment of the men's national coach came with its own share of drama and this time again, the women's coach appointment appears to have its share of problems.

Those who track women's cricket on a daily basis say: "This is bound to turn into a disaster very soon, unless somebody steps in and talks to the players. But again, there's a major issue lurking. Players know very well that at this stage there are no adequate replacements for them. So, they're not bothered as long as they get their way. It's a very sorry state of affairs".

