Indian board satisfied with Whatmore meeting

Will Dav Whatmore be the next Indian coach? © AFP Enlarge

The Indian board (BCCI) finally admitted that they discussed with Dav Whatmore his interest in coaching the Indian team. Niranjan Shah, the BCCI secretary, said he was "satisfied" with his "brief meeting" with Whatmore in Bangladesh and would report his feedback to the seven-member committee appointed to find a new coach for the team.

"I met with him yesterday. I will report the details to the committee," Shah, who returned from Bangladesh Sunday morning, told PTI. "I am satisfied with the meeting. It was a brief meeting, it lasted for five-ten minutes. Whatmore expressed his desire to coach India."

However, a senior board official told Cricinfo that too much shouldn't be read into the meeting. "The board hasn't shortlisted anybody. Whatmore met with Shah to express his interest but the decision on the next Indian coach will be taken only a week or two before the India team leaves for Ireland on June 20."

Shah, along with Sharad Pawar, the BCCI president, administrative officer Ratnakar Shetty and vice-president Rajeev Shukla were in Bangladesh on Saturday on an invitation from the Bangladesh board.

Both Shah and Pawar denied during their press briefing that the purpose of their visit was to have a discussion with Whatmore, who has emerged as a major contender for the post vacated by Greg Chappell. Asked about the turn of events, Shah said, "Whatmore wanted to meet me. I couldn't say no."

Shah had earlier said that the seven-member committee, which includes former captains Ravi Shastri, Srinivas Venkataraghavan and Sunil Gavaskar, would meet in Bangalore on June 4 and the new coach would be named four to five days later.