Indian womens cricket team likely to have first foreign strength & conditioning coach after World Cup win
The Indian women's cricket team is reportedly set to get its first foreign strength and conditioning coach after their maiden World Cup triumph.
The Harmanpreet Kaur-led Indian women's cricket team is reportedly set to get its first-ever foreign strength and conditioning coach after their World Cup victory. India clinched their maiden Women's ODI World Cup title after beating South Africa in the final at the DY Patil Stadium in Mumbai earlier this month.
It was a historic victory as it marked an end to a long-standing ICC trophy drought for India in women's cricket. Many also labelled the victory the '83' moment for women's cricket in India, tipping it to serve as an inspiration for the future generations of women cricketers in India.
As per a report in PTI, BCCI sources have indicated that the Indian cricket board is in talks with Nathan Kiely to join the Centre of Excellence (CoE) in Bengaluru as a strength and conditioning coach. The Australian is currently serving as the strength and conditioning coach of the Bangladesh men's national team.
He has also worked as a strength and conditioning coach for the New South Wales (NSW) domestic team in Australia. If he joins CoE, BCCI is likely to move the current strength and conditioning coach, AI Harrsha, who was with the Indian team during the Women's ODI World Cup 2025 and played his part in the team's historic win.
The S&C coaches employed at the CoE are often asked to take up assignments with the men's and women's national teams, along with A teams and age-group sides. Kiely's appointment will pave the way for him to work with the Indian women's cricket team, making him the first foreign S&C coach of the side.
Indian women's team stars rewarded for their World Cup heroics
The Indian women's team stars have been showered with praise and rewards following their historic maiden World Cup triumph. Several state governments, including Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra and Himachal Pradesh, have announced cash rewards and other recognitions for their state players, who were part of the World Cup-winning team.
The BCCI also announced a cash reward of Rs 51 crore for the World Cup-winning Indian women's team and its support staff. West Bengal CM Mamta Banerjee announced that a cricket stadium will be built after India wicket-keeper batter Richa Ghosh's name in Darjleeing.