Sumit Mukherjee for Times News Network
Kolkata, June 7: On the face of it, Dav Whatmore lost out in the race for the Indian coach's job because the senior players in the team didn't want him. However, it is now slowly emerging that it could well have been because of the little games played out by a couple of influential members in the panel during the special meeting on Monday night.
According to inside information, BCCI secretary Niranjan Shah, as expected, set the ball rolling by proposing Whatmore's name. It was promptly opposed by Ravi Shastri. With Sunil Gavaskar too venting his feelings against him in recent times, it sealed the fate of the Australian.
It is believed that Whatmore's association for such a long time with teams from the sub-continent had gone against him. That and the fact that he seemed over-eager to take the job, even at the cost of not looking involved enough during the just-concluded India-Bangladesh series.
With Whatmore out of the race, the games began. As the house debated other possible candidates, Shastri sprang the name of former South Africa coach Graham Ford.
At that point, Gavaskar, who also had reservations over Ford (apart from Whatmore), suggested that the BCCI should also sound out former England off-spinner John Emburey. He also added the names of former England captains Graham Gooch and Mike Gatting, as well as former Sri Lanka skipper Arjuna Ranatunga.
Dhaka: Bangladesh Says Door Still Open for Whatmore
AFP
Dhaka, Jun 7: Bangladesh authorities on Wednesday said the door was still open for former cricket coach Dav Whatmore to return after his bid for the vacant India job ended in failure.
"Our door is still open for Whatmore. He is a great coach and (the) Bangladesh team has improved a lot during his four-year tenure," Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) General Secretary Mahbub Anam told.
Anam, who heads the board's coach-hunting mission launched when Whatmore quit last month, said Bangladesh had not said goodbye to the Australian coach, noting: "He made the decision to leave the post."
The BCB had reportedly offered an improved package after Whatmore decided to seek the high-profile job of Indian coach immediately after Greg Chappell quit during the Caribbean World Cup.
But on Monday Indian authorities picked South African Graham Ford as frontrunner for the post and said Whatmore was out of contention.
The 53-year-old was an early favourite for one of the toughest coaching jobs in cricket after he publicly expressed his interest in taking on Rahul Dravid's men.
Under Whatmore, cricket minnows Bangladesh won their first Test and beat teams such as Australia, South Africa and India in One-Day Internationals.
The BCB this week made Australian Shaun Williams interim coach for Bangladesh's five-week tour of Sri Lanka later this month and said a new coach would be named after the tour.