Dav Whatmore wasn’t the greatest player in his playing days, but as a coach, he has been an inspiration for many teams. He feels that despite the experiments with the Sri Lankan team, India will continue their dominance over their counterparts in the upcoming series consisting of 3 Tests, ODI’s and T20I’s respectively.
“It is going to be very difficult for Sri Lanka. They couldn’t win at home, how do you think they’re going to win in India? India’s domination will continue. They are a very good team having all-round abilities. They bat well and deep, they’ve got good spinners and seamers, and also a very positive leader,” Whatmore was quoted as saying by the Hindustan Times.
Whatmore who is the current coach of the Kerala Ranji team was once in contention to take up the Indian coach’s job. He lauded the indomitable partnership of Kohl-Shastri and said that this is important for the captain and coach to get along well.
“It is very important, and everybody will agree, that the captain and coach have a good working relationship. There’s a saying that players make the coach, there’s no question about that. The coach stays in the background and it is about the players and that is exactly what Ravi Shastri is all about,” said Whatmore, who appeared for Australia in 7 Tests and a solitary ODI.
Whatmore backed MS Dhoni despite his rather slow knock in Rajkot in the 2nd T20I in Rajkot which India lost by 40 runs.
“I did not see the (Rajkot) game but I read (Ajit) Agarkar, what he was thinking. I didn’t read what VVS Laxman said. What they’re saying is basically reporting on the game. If Dhoni tried to hit from ball one, he would have got out. This guy has won you matches!” said Whatmore.
“It is a bit premature but if you’re looking at the future to infuse and slowly bring in young players, that makes perfect sense. They were not happy with that particular innings but that’s just one game. This guy has played a lot of good ones. No one likes to lose but it happens.”
Very few understand the Sri Lankan set-up better than Whatmore, who also famously led them to the 1996 World Cup title. But he couldn’t comprehend the logic behind the selectors’ decision to leave out Kusal Mendis, among others, for the India tour.
Whatmore was the coach of the Sri Lankan team when they won the Wills World Cup in 1996 and knew the Sri Lankan team inside and out. He couldn’t understand the fact that Kusal Mendis was left out of the upcoming tour of India.
“I have been a bit removed from all this but I am sure the people who did these things must have some reason for it. Mendis is a good player and has won games for them, he will be missed,” said Whatmore who has also coach Zimbabwe, Bangladesh and Pakistan.
“Asela Gunaratne and Kusal Perera were left out because they haven’t played anything, have they? They had the opportunity to, I guess, before the Tests, so that is understandable. It is good that Angelo Mathews is back, he is an asset, but Mendis….. he is a decent player.”