India Women set to appoint first foreign strength and conditioning coach after maiden World Cup glory

Published - 10 Nov 2025, 20:14 IST | Updated - 10 Nov 2025, 20:21 IST

The World Cup-winning India Women’s cricket team is set to welcome its first-ever foreign strength and conditioning (S&C) coach in the near future. The BCCI has been strengthening its Centre of Excellence (CoE) in Bengaluru, recently adding several professionals to the S&C department to enhance the fitness framework across national and developmental teams.

According to BCCI sources, Nathan Kiely, the current Bangladesh men’s team S&C coach, is in advanced talks with the Indian board and is likely to join the CoE soon. India’s current women’s S&C coach, Al Harrsha, has done an outstanding job, playing a vital role in the team’s historic World Cup triumph, but it is understood that the board may have different assignments planned for him within its expanding structure.

Kiely brings a wealth of experience, having worked with the Bangladesh national team and previously served as an assistant coach for New South Wales, one of Australia’s leading first-class sides. Typically, the S&C coaches stationed at the CoE rotate between assignments with India’s senior men’s and women’s teams, pathway programs, and age-group squads, according to an India Today report.

Until now, the women’s S&C coaches have all been India-based, but if Kiely officially joins, he would become the first overseas fitness expert to work with the Indian women’s setup.

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The Indian men’s team, meanwhile, continues under the guidance of Adrian Le Roux, who is currently in his second stint as head S&C coach. In addition, the CoE has recently hired two new in-house coaches, Pratyush Agrawal and Amit Vengurlekar, both of whom edged out several experienced state-level candidates. Agrawal previously served as an assistant S&C coach with Delhi Capitals (DC), while Vengurlekar held a similar role with Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) in the IPL.

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As for the Indian women’s team, they enjoyed a remarkable World Cup campaign, finishing fourth in the group stage before defeating Australia in the semi-final, thanks to Jemimah Rodrigues’ brilliant knock. In the final, the Women in Blue produced a dominant performance to beat South Africa Women by 52 runs, clinching their maiden World Cup title and etching a new chapter in Indian cricket history.