India missed out on the best coach: Whatmore

Dav Whatmore is delighted with how things have turned out for Kerala so far and said there is more to come.

Seasoned international coach Dav Whatmore believes that the Indian women's cricket team may have perhaps missed out on the best coach after the Australian didn't make the cut to the three-man shortlist because of the age limit set by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI).
Whatmore, who is doing wonders as the coach of Kerala in the Ranji Trophy, is 64, while the age limit set by the BCCI is 60.
Whatmore, who has had an illustrious career, having coached Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Pakistan and Zimbabwe as well as IPL team Kolkata Knight Riders, had applied for the women's team job along with nine others.
But on Thursday, the BCCI gave the job to former India opener WV Raman after shortlisting Raman, Gary Kirsten, who guided the men's team to the World Cup in 2011, and Venkatesh Prasad. Whatmore, who coached Sri Lanka to the World Cup in 1996, felt the Indian women's team may have missed out.
The age limit for the women's team is 60 or under so I disqualify on that. It is a bit surprising but.I feel 50," Whatmore told the Khaleej Times in an exclusive chat on Thursday.
The Australian was in Dubai to provide special training during the winter coaching camp of Kricket's Spero.
"They missed out on the best coach, put it that way," he added.
Nonetheless, Whatmore is delighted with how things have turned out for Kerala so far and said there is more to come.
"It has been a good season but last year was a very good year because we made the play-offs. This year we are in the elite which is probably I think the first time in the history of Kerala cricket. I guess that's a very good thing. But look, it is not over yet. We have played six matches, few other teams have played six and the others will catch up this week where we have a week off. So, we all will be watching results. And whatever it is, we will still be figuring. So, our next two games will be very, very important," said Whatmore, who has played a key role in Kerala's rise over the past two seasons.
Kerala scored thumping wins over Bengal and Delhi this season and go up against Punjab and Himachal Pradesh away.
Whatmore also spoke about Sri Lanka's decline over the years and said that the lack of a good domestic structure was one of the reasons that they have been unable to fill the void left by stalwarts Mahela Jayawardene and Kumar Sangakkara.
"It is a combination. One of the things is that it is difficult to cover those two players. The system in Sri Lanka is always subject of discussion to improve domestic cricket. When you have got a good, strong domestic competition, then you tend to cover those voids a little bit easier. I think that is one of the reasons. They have had a number of coaches, a lot have come and gone and that hasn't helped. So, to me, it is a combination of reasons but the talent will always be there in Sri Lanka," he observed.
james@khaleejtimes.com