PANAJI
Former Afghanistan cricket batting coach Milap Mewada has been appointed as the new head coach of Goa’s Ranji team for the 2025-26 domestic season.
The new Ranji season will begin from October 15.
During last season, Goa had won the Plate division (meant for lower-ranked teams) and qualified for Elite Group, with former India international Dinesh Mongia as its coach. Goa had won all their six matches to put up an impressive show.
With Mongia making himself ‘unavailable’ to coach the Goa team for the upcoming season, Goa Cricket Association (GCA) had to look for other options.
The GCA officials then decided to go with Milap Mewada from Baroda, an experienced coach in the domestic circuit.
“Mewada will be a good coach for Goa, given his excellent track record as a batting coach. Wherever he has coached, the results have been impressive,” Shamba Desai, Secretary, Goa Cricket Association told The Goan.
“He will be Goa’s head coach with all other coaches reporting to him,” said Desai.
A keeper-batsman, Mewada, 50, never made it to the Indian national team; often missing out on a starting spot for Baroda where Nayan Mongia was the first choice.
Mewada did play 11 first-class and 26 List-A matches for Baroda between 1996 and 2005, and later, worked with several young cricketers as a full-time coach. Under his guidance, Jammu and Kashmir made it to the quarterfinals of the Ranji Trophy during 2019-20 season.
Among his most memorable stints in his coaching career was that of being famously appointed as the batting coach of Afghanistan during 2023 ODI World Cup held in India. During that World Cup, the Afghanistan side displayed an impressive performance.
Mewada has also coached other teams such as Baroda, Chhattisgarh and Hyderabad in his coaching career.
Former India fast-bowler Dodda Ganesh has been appointed as the bowling coach. On previous occasions, Ganesh was Goa’s head coach for four seasons.
During upcoming season, Goa has been placed in Ranji Elite B Group along with former champions - Saurashtra, Karnataka, Punjab, Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh with Kerala and Chandigarh being other teams in their group.
