Post Women's ODI World Cup triumph, Indian team likely to get foreign strength & conditioning coach

New Delhi, Nov 10 (IANS) Following their historic Women’s ODI World Cup triumph, the Indian team is likely to have a foreign strength and conditioning coach as part of its backroom staff for the very first time.

In April this year, the BCCI had invited applications for head physiotherapist and strength and conditioning coach for the women’s team for its various matches and tournaments. Shortly after, the interviews for the same are believed to have happened in Bengaluru.

Sources familiar with the matter have told IANS on Monday that Nathan Kiely, currently the head of strength and conditioning at the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB), is most likely to join the Indian women’s team as their new strength and conditioning coach.

Apart from his current work in the Bangladesh set-up, Kiely has worked as an assistant strength and conditioning coach with the New South Wales (NSW) cricket team and served as physical performance coach of the Sydney Sixers in the Women’s Big Bash League (WBBL).

He’s also worked with professional rugby league football clubs Sydney Roosters and the Brisbane Broncos. The Indian women’s team had AI Harrsha as their strength and conditioning coach for the last few months and played a major role in ensuring the team was fit in their quest to win the World Cup title.

But it is understood that Harrsha, who’s attached with the BCCI Centre of Excellence (CoE) in Bengaluru, will be given other assignments, considering the hectic international calendar across age-groups in both men’s and women’s cricket.

The Indian men’s team currently has Adrian Le Roux in the role, and is now in his second stint as the side’s strength and conditioning coach. The Indian women’s team, led by Harmanpreet Kaur, will be seen in international action during a home white-ball series against Bangladesh in December, before joining their respective franchises for the 2026 season of the Women’s Premier League (WPL).

--IANS

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