Selecting the coach (WV Raman) for the women's team was, "more difficult" than the men's team (Ravi Shastri), according to Shanta Rangaswamy, a member of the coach selection committee that retained the former cricket star yesterday.

Speaking over the phone as she was heading to the airport to fly back to Bangalore, Rangaswamy said, "There were a lot of controversies back then and people washed dirty linen in public. Even though people had said that Shastri would be retain as coach, we did not go by public influence. He has been chosen on merit.