Late on Wednesday, The Telegraph was able to access women’s head coach Ramesh Powar’s exhaustive and candid “report” on the Harmanpreet Kaur-led team in the World T20.

Powar’s “report” was addressed to the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) CEO Rahul Johri and GM Syed Saba Karim.

The Mithali Raj relevant excerpts follow...

“Minimum inputs in team meetings, not a single word of appreciation after finishing at the top of the table. Could not understand and adapt to team plan. Ignored her role and batted for own milestones…

Lack of keeping the momentum going, which was putting extra pressure on other batters. Worked really hard as a coach to address her power-hitting, batting skills and running between the wickets in almost every session…

In practice games, she was struggling to score quickly, as wickets were of low bounce and slow. Intent was missing. Could not lean and execute shots due to limited ability in skills and fitness. We wanted to make most of Powerplay as Powerplay was most important phase of the match…

It was conveyed to her logically that she will be batting in the middle order and she agreed too (before New Zealand match)…

Mithali’s lack of intent to score quickly in practice games prompted us to open with Taniya Bhatiya (in the first league game, vs New Zealand) who has always shown intent every time she batted. We used Taniya and Hemlatha in Powerplay vs New Zealand which got us 24 runs in 13 balls….

It’s not always about individual milestones, it’s always about team strategies and executions. After the New Zealand game, we had a practice session where Mithali was showing anger and attitude, which was disappointing…

In the selection meeting where we picked 11 for the Pakistan match, instead of appreciating the effort of the team against New Zealand, selector asked us why Mithali is not opening. I gave the explanation of making most of Powerplay and, if needed, Mithali can bat in the middle/lower order...

The selector said that she can only open or can’t figure in the team…

We, as team management, convinced her that she is a key player and we will use her experience as and when needed. A lot of young players look up to her as a role model and dropping her will hamper team environment…

Before the Pakistan match, video analyst Mr Pushkar Sawant came to my room with the news that fielding coach Mr Biju George had conveyed to him that Mithali was upset about not changing the batting order and not allowing her to open in Pakistan match…

Also, she had packed her bags to leave with an announcement of retirement in the morning…

I was shell-shocked. The team had just beaten one of the top teams (New Zealand) and Mithali, a legend, was still complaining about her batting position (which she agreed upon) and was threatening to leave…

I was saddened and baffled by her attitude. It gave me an impression that for Mithali, she comes first and then Team India. I called team manager early in the morning and discussed the issue…

I did not convey this to the captain and vice captain, as I didn’t want them to lose their focus ahead of the most important match, India vs Pakistan, of the group stage…

During breakfast on match day, I told Harman and Smriti that we will open with Mithali and they agreed. Conveyed to Mithali also about her opening the innings against Pakistan. Against Pakistan, to save the positive team environment, we opened with Mithali due to pressure from travelling selector and Mithali’s threatening behaviour (retirement) to go back home if not given a chance to open the innings…

Against Pakistan, Mithali played 24 balls and scored only 25 runs (no intent to score fast) which hurt us in the net run rate. The whole team, specially batting unit, was confused and angry as what she was trying to achieve by scoring 50 and not sticking to the team plan…

After the Pakistan game she was moving around with an attitude. Making her own group and sitting away from the team. As head coach, I was very disappointed and saddened to see a legend like her dividing the team into two groups…

After the Pakistan match, Mithali asked for a meeting with me through team manager Trupti Bhattacharya. I obliged…

She conveyed that she is not a very good player in this format compared to the one-day format where I convinced her that she is the most experienced player and can adapt easily as she had scored a good hundred vs Sri Lanka, batting in the middle order in the recent ODI series…

That reminded me she (the captain) did not take the field for first 11 overs due to fatigue after batting and we lost the match (as all bowling plans were known to her which she did not share with vice-captain Harmanpreet due to her sour relationship)...

She agreed to bat in the middle order after hearing the team plan from me…

Still, we wanted to give her one more opportunity to prove her ability as opening batter vs Ireland to execute the team strategies that is to bat with intent (dominance). Against a weak Ireland bowling attack, she scored run-a-ball 50 (56 balls 51 runs) and played 25 dots, which added extra pressure and cost us Smriti and Jemimah’s wicket and the net run rate…

She again questioned the batting plan of dominance after the match. After the Ireland game the physio informed us that she was not available for selection due to mild fever and minor injury to a knee, from which she recovered in one day (quite strange). As a coach, I asked her to take rest in the hotel so she can get better and recover quickly, but she did not listen and came to the ground for Australia match, which was surprising…

As we finished the last league match, in Guyana, we called team members, including support staff, to the ground to thank and appreciate Indian people, who were in attendance. Mithali was reluctant to come down…

After reaching Antigua for the semi-finals, I had created two groups for a low-intensity practice session with first group consisting of five players for batting skills specifics and another group for warm-up, team game and fielding…

Mithali was in the second group but she wanted to come with us in the first group…

I requested her to come with the second group, do the warm up and skip the team game and come for the batting skills practice. (She was supposed to do fielding with the team after batting which she did not). I stayed and watched her bat for 10 minutes and went to check how the session was going inside the stadium. Mr Vikas Pandit was there to supervise her session…

I came back with the physio to watch her bat again. After finishing batting at the nets, the physio and I asked how she was feeling. She responded with nod as if our question did not matter to her. A day before semi-final as I walked towards breakfast area, team manager Trupti wanted to speak with me. She looked very tense…

As per team manager’s words, she received abusive and threatening calls from a person called Nusheen (former player) asking what you were doing with Mithali as she cried the whole night and her mother was worried. Nusheen also threatened that ‘you all will face consequences’…

Out of panic, the team manager took physio to her room to check on her. As described by team manager Mithali wanted to go back home as she was very upset that the coach was not looking after a legend like her. She threw a lot of tantrums and created chaos. Team manager and the physio tried their best to calm her…

Team manager came to me and described the whole episode. We immediately called Mr Saba Karim (GM, cricket operations, BCCI) and informed the matter. Saba Sir told us to sort the matter out amicably. Saba Sir also told us to concentrate on crucial and important World Cup semi final match…

Within some time, Mithali shot off a message on team manager’s phone that she did not want to speak with the coach. Her irresponsible behaviour took my time away as I was supposed to speak with few players regarding preparations of the all-important semi final…

Mr George (fielding coach) gave feedback that Mithali was not interested in participating in fielding drills with intensity, which is hampering intensity and rhythm of the fielding session. He tried to convince her every time but she did not improve…

I hope Mithali stops blackmailing, putting pressure on coaches and also stops putting her interest first rather than the team’s...

I hope she will look at the bigger picture and work towards betterment of women’s cricket.”