What more does the Board want?

Now that the high priests of the Indian cricket board have met Dav Whatmore in Bangladesh, I wonder what all this fuss is about that they will soon finalise the India coach.

I am actually a bit fascinated by the shrinking of his name, because when he played, he was called Davenell Whatmore. In the last 11 years, he has become Dav, a popular man who guided Sri Lanka to the World Cup title in 1996 and is now remembered for moulding the Bangladeshis into a good one-day unit.

It was a bit strange when four teams from the sub-continent were there at the World Cup in West Indies, three teams had coaches from Australia – Greg Chappell, Tom Moody and Whatmore. I was sure, given the madness that was the World Cup, not all four teams from the sub-continent would be in the semi-finals!

Yet, after having seen Guru Greg go out so unceremoniously, what is it that has made Whatmore fall in love with Indian cricket. Perhaps, when he was coaching Lanka, he would have had few hassles coaching a side which had such a profusion of talent that the ‘superstar’ nuisance value did not exist.

And when he moved over to Bangladesh, Whatmore was a glorified coach, a man who had done wonders. So is Whatmore wanting to come to India hoping that India go on to win the World Cup, when the final is held in Mumbai in 2011.

I really do not know whether Whatmore will get the same freedom in India which he got in Sri Lanka and Bangladesh. The Indian cricket team has not star value but superstar value. The Board may have kept Dada and Sachin out of the ODI series in Bangladesh, but they are still in the Test squad and ‘performing’!

The things is,when you have a raw side, it is very easy to mould it as the players will listen to you and there will be no conflict. But if in the coming future Whatmore has to handle THE Indian Test team --- Dravid, Sehwag, Tendulkar, Ganguly, Laxman and the rest -- how is he going to do it?

Bloated egos, stars with swagger and style, I would shudder to think how Whatmore would deal with them at practice sessions and on the field. If someone like Guru Greg failed, is Whatmore going to be more successful and rule with an iron hand? I do not know, as a lot will depend on what the Board expects from him and what power he gets.

My personal feeling is, Whatmore will be a much more mature coach than Guru Greg. Maybe, a man who will stay low profile like John Wright and got the job done.

All I can do is wish Whatmore good luck. He is lobbying for the India coach’s job and is bound to get it.