India Women search for new fielding coach as Munish Bali faces growing criticism
The BCCI on Tuesday invited applications for the position of fielding coach of the Indian women's cricket team, with the move coming amid growing concerns over the team's fielding standards and repeated dropped catches.
In a media release, the Board stated that interested candidates could submit their applications by November 16. Munish Bali was the team's fielding coach during its most recent assignment, a home white-ball series against Zimbabwe, where India's catching woes once again came under scrutiny.
The BCCI has outlined several responsibilities for the role, including "developing and implementing comprehensive fielding programmes to build a world-class fielding unit". The successful candidate will also be expected to conduct fielding sessions during practice and matches, provide individual coaching for skill development and "assess individual contributions in the field across different match situations".
India's catching problems have become increasingly difficult to ignore, with the team showing little sign of improvement since the Women's T20 World Cup 2026. The warning signs were evident during the global tournament, where India dropped 10 catches in five group-stage matches.
Three of those misses came against South Africa, with Marizanne Kapp making India pay after being given multiple lifelines. India eventually crashed out in the group stage, with their fielding coming under considerable criticism.
Head coach Amol Muzumdar acknowledged that there was room for improvement, identifying fielding alongside batting and bowling as areas that needed attention. Following India's exit, he admitted that the team had fallen short across departments during the tournament.
However, the concerns have persisted in the months since. India dropped four catches during the three-match T20I series against Zimbabwe before letting another four opportunities slip in the opening ODI alone. Their catching woes continued in the 50-over series as well.
The opening ODI was particularly concerning. Richa Ghosh dropped two catches, including a regulation opportunity behind the stumps, while Deepti Sharma and Kranti Gaud also missed chances. India also failed to capitalise on a couple of run-out opportunities.
Despite completing a 3-0 ODI series sweep, the repeated lapses have raised questions about India's fielding standards and the effectiveness of the work being done to address them.
India's next assignment will be an all-format tour of South Africa in December. The two teams will begin with a one-off Test in Gqeberha from December 9, followed by three ODIs from December 16 and three T20Is from December 26.- Ends
