Harshal Jayant Pathak is an Indian cricket coach from Pune, Maharashtra, and the newly appointed head coach of the Nepal women’s national team. His arrival marks the first time Nepal Women will work under a foreign head coach, with Cricket Association of Nepal handing him the role ahead of the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2026 Global Qualifier on home soil.

Pathak brings more than two decades of coaching experience across Indian domestic cricket and Associate nations. He started out at Cadence Cricket Academy in Pune, moved into the professional circuit as assistant and batting coach for Maharashtra’s men’s team during their Ranji Trophy final run, and has also worked as personal batting coach to India star Harmanpreet Kaur. Internationally, he is best known for his long stint with the Cricket Association of Thailand, where he served as head coach of the women’s national team, later Director of Coaching and head coach of the men’s side as well.

With Thailand, Pathak oversaw one of the most impressive rise stories in women’s Associate cricket—guiding them to their first ICC Women’s T20 World Cup in 2020, building a record winning streak in T20Is and taking the team to the Asia Cup semi-finals. He is recognised for his batting-focused, detail-oriented coaching, demanding fitness and fielding standards, and for creating team environments where collective success comes before individual milestones. Nepal will now look to that same philosophy and experience to push their women’s team to a first-ever senior World Cup appearance.