New Delhi, Dec 20 (IANS): Former India opener W.V. Raman has reportedly been selected as the chief coach of the India women's cricket team by the BCCI's three-member ad-hoc committee headed by first World Cup winning skipper Kapil Dev.

Raman, 53, is presently serving as a batting consultant at the National Cricket Academy (NCA) in Bengaluru. The committee, which gave its final nod for the name of Raman, comprises former India opener Anshuman Gaekwad and ex-women player Shantha Rangaswamy apart from Kapil.

The panel had recommended three names -- Gary Kirsten, former India pacer Venkatesh Prasad and Raman for the top post. According to sources, the board will be making an official announcement later on Thursday or Friday.

Raman, who has featured in 11 Tests and 27 ODIs, is best known for becoming the first ever Indian to score a century in South Africa in the 1992-93 tour.

Raman has earlier coached Ranji teams like Tamil Nadu, Bengal and the India Under-19 side.

The BCCI had invited fresh applications for the job after Ramesh Powar's brief stint with the women's team ended in controversial circumstances.

Powar entered into a tussle with ODI captain and senior player Mithali Raj on the selection issue in the recently concluded women's T20 World Cup.

Kirsten, who had led the Indian men's team to victory in the 2011 World Cup, was the first choice for the job. However, the South African was not willing to leave his current job as head coach of Indian Premier League (IPL) outfit Royal Challengers Bangalore and was thus ruled out.