The National Cricket Academy (NCA) in its quest for excellence very recently concluded a seven-week series of CPD (Continuous Professional Development) seminars for women coaches across the country. A first of its kind initiative was conducted by the Coach Education department of the NCA, led by Sujith Somasundar and supported by Atul Gaikwad, Apurva Desai and Rajib Dutta.

Twenty-Four BCCI Level 2 certified coaches and former India cricketers with BCCI level 1 certifications were part of the seminar. Some of the topics covered included skill acquisition, modern coaching concepts, the art and science of fast bowling, designing effective learning environments etc.

“Women’s cricket is on the rise in India and our women’s team has performed exceptionally well in the last couple of ICC tournaments. India is seeing a great deal of young talent coming up from all parts of the country. NCA’s efforts to hone and nurture the skills of women coaches are appreciated. I would like to thank the team at the NCA led by Rahul for taking this initiative,” BCCI President Sourav Ganguly said.

BCCI, Secretary, Jay Shah added that the board is committed to strengthening the women’s cricket in the country.

“BCCI is committed to strengthening women’s cricket in India and CPD is one more step in this direction. It is important that coaches who train the girls across India are in sync with the latest coaching concepts and manuals. The lockdown has forced us to remain indoors and the BCCI has utilized this time in skill development through online seminars through its National Cricket Academy (NCA),” he said.

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NCA head Rahul Dravid feels that the seminar will support women coaches in their development.

“Women’s cricket has been growing at a very fast pace and one of the aims of the BCCI is to continue supporting our women coaches in their development. Although the pandemic has posed certain challenges, I believe the last seven weeks have still been used well by our education department to connect with some of the women coaches, work with them and support them in their pursuit of constant development,” Dravid said.