11:24 (IST)
Rau went on to explain how and when it all started. "When we won the T20 series for the first time in Australia in 2015-16, I remember the team to be a very innocent, happy, hungry bunch. It was nice to see them in the World Cup final in a matter of months. But, after tasting success, the contract system, social media becoming powerful, Big Bash League, media attention, money, captaincy issues, everything started snowballing into a big issue between them. There is no camaraderie, no bonding between the players. Suddenly everything could change with the whiff of money. They could not handle success and money. Former players have been doing it for ages. When you get a little bit of power, everything else goes out of the window. It is infectious. They were always power hungry. Women’s cricket suffers. One administrator blamed the other, and this continued into the player’s system. It is a rot. Sourav Ganguly has to go ahead and fix it. How long will this go on, I don’t know. It will take time. Ramesh Powar has taken over as the new coach, he has to fix it. The onus is on him. Some stricter measures and accountability, whether it is for selectors, coaches, administrators in each state, need to be in place. Women’s cricketers have it in them to win the World Cup. I have told this many times in the team meetings when I was the coach. Indian team can win the World Cup not once but three-four times consecutively and stamp their class. Our domestic structure is good. But the mental part, the attitude of the players are totally going astray.
