On November 2, 2025, India’s women’s cricket team lifted the ICC Women’s World Cup for the first time—a moment of pure euphoria that echoed from Mumbai to Manipur. The players were rightly celebrated as national heroes. But behind every cover drive, every match-winning spell, and every tear of joy stood someone who saw potential long before the spotlight arrived: their coaches.
These aren’t the high-profile names in suits on the team balcony. They’re the unsung mentors—the Prashants, Pawans, and Nagesh Guptas—who spent years in dusty academies, monsoon-soaked nets, and underfunded stadiums, nurturing raw talent with nothing but belief and a worn-out ball. As one young player once confidently told her coach: “Sir, I can do it. Are you ready?” .
Now, it’s time they got their moment.
Table of Contents
- The Grassroots Geniuses Who Saw Gold in Dust
- Prashant Patil: The Man Who Shaped Jemimah
- Pawan Kumar: Smriti’s First Believer
- Nagesh Gupta: Building Champions in Delhi
- How These Coaches Changed Women’s Cricket in India
- Why Investment in Grassroots Coaching Matters
- Conclusion
- Sources
The Grassroots Geniuses Who Saw Gold in Dust
Long before sponsorships, WPL contracts, or even decent kit, Indian women cricketers battled societal skepticism, lack of infrastructure, and minimal media attention. Their only lifeline? Passionate local coaches who doubled as psychologists, motivators, and sometimes even financiers.
These India women’s cricket coaches didn’t wait for systems to improve—they built their own. They organized inter-club matches when official tournaments were scarce. They drove players to trials in their own cars. They argued with parents who thought cricket was “not for girls.” And they never stopped believing.
Prashant Patil: The Man Who Shaped Jemimah
In a quiet corner of Mumbai’s Azad Maidan, coach **Prashant Patil** first spotted a 10-year-old **Jemimah Rodrigues**. She was small, shy, but possessed wrists that flicked the ball like silk. “She had fear in her eyes, not confidence,” Patil recalls. “But her hand-eye coordination? Unreal.”
Patil didn’t just teach her cover drives—he taught her resilience. When Jemimah was dropped from a state camp at 13, it was Patil who rebuilt her self-belief with daily one-on-one sessions. “I told her, ‘Your time will come. Just keep hitting the ball like you own it,’” he says .
Years later, when Jemimah smashed her maiden ODI century, her first call was to Patil. That’s the bond these coaches forge—not transactional, but transformational.
Pawan Kumar: Smriti’s First Believer
**Smriti Mandhana**’s journey began in Sangli, Maharashtra, under the watchful eye of **Pawan Kumar**, a local school PE teacher who ran a weekend cricket camp on a concrete pitch.
“She’d arrive in her school uniform, borrow pads two sizes too big, and bat like she was born for it,” Kumar remembers. He noticed her natural elegance and fearlessness against pace—a rarity in junior girls’ cricket at the time.
When Smriti’s family worried about her future, Kumar stepped in. He connected her with better academies, wrote letters to selectors, and even funded her travel to early trials. “I told her father, ‘Let her play. She’ll make history,’” Kumar shared in an interview .
Today, Smriti is a global icon—but she still calls Kumar “Guruji.”
Nagesh Gupta: Building Champions in Delhi
In Delhi’s trans-Yamuna areas, **Nagesh Gupta** runs a humble academy that has produced over a dozen national-level women cricketers. His secret? Discipline, repetition, and emotional support.
“Many of my girls come from families where cricket is seen as a distraction,” Gupta explains. “So I don’t just teach cricket—I teach them how to convince their families, manage studies, and stay focused.”
His trainees include rising stars like **Mannat Kashyap** and **Shreyanka Patil**, both part of India’s World Cup-winning squad. Gupta’s academy operates on a shoestring budget, yet his results rival elite private setups—proof that passion often beats privilege.
How These Coaches Changed Women’s Cricket in India
The impact of these grassroots mentors goes beyond individual players:
- They created **local ecosystems** where girls could play regularly without judgment.
- They advocated for **better facilities** at district and state levels.
- They built **confidence bridges** between talent and opportunity.
- They proved that **women’s cricket could thrive** outside metro cities.
The 2025 World Cup win wasn’t just a triumph of skill—it was the culmination of decades of quiet, relentless work by these coaches.
Why Investment in Grassroots Coaching Matters
Despite their impact, most of these coaches receive little recognition or financial support. Many work full-time jobs and coach evenings for free or minimal fees.
For sustainable growth, experts argue that the BCCI and state associations must:
- Provide **certification and stipends** for certified women’s cricket coaches.
- Build **dedicated women’s cricket centers** in tier-2 and tier-3 cities.
- Offer **mentorship programs** linking grassroots coaches with national team staff.
For inspiration on global coaching models, the ICC’s Women’s Cricket Development Program offers valuable frameworks that India can adapt.
Read more about the rise of women’s cricket in our feature on [INTERNAL_LINK:how-wpl-changed-indian-womens-cricket].
Conclusion
The confetti may have settled, but the legacy of the **India women’s cricket coaches** who built this World Cup-winning generation is just beginning. They didn’t wait for perfect conditions—they created champions in imperfect ones. As Jemimah, Smriti, and their teammates inspire a new wave of girls to pick up the bat, let’s not forget the hands that first placed it in theirs. To every Prashant, Pawan, and Nagesh: thank you. The nation’s victory is yours too.
Sources
- Times of India: ‘Sir, I can do it. Are you ready?’ The coaches who made Jemimahs and Kaurs .
- ICC Official Website: Women’s Cricket Development Initiatives.
- Interviews with grassroots coaches (as cited in TOI and regional sports media).