Ranji Trophy: We have all bases covered, says Kerala coach Whatmore

KOLKATA: Kerala coach Dav Whatmore was a happy man as his boys recorded back-to-back outright victories in this Ranji season. Asked what made the difference for Kerala against Bengal at the Eden Gardens here, Whatmore said "The innings by Jalaj Saxena was incredible and the effort put in by Sandeep Warrier today made the difference."
However, he did not want to comment of Saxena's chance of playing for India."I am not a selector and so cannot comment on that. All I can say is that he (Saxena) is a wonderful competitor and is hugely responsible for a number of wins for the team," he said.
The Australian praised MD Nidheesh and Basil Thampi too. "Both Nidheesh and Thampi bowled really well in the first innings and provided good support to Warrier in the second," he said.
However, he is happy with the overall show of the boys.
"We have a team that has all bases covered. We came here with an extra pacer expecting such a lively track. But even if it was spin-friendly, we were not lacking," he remarked.
The coach played down his role in the recent good show of the team. "We are trying to create a happy and healthy dressing room atmosphere so that everybody can perform," he pointed out.
The former World Cup-winning coach, however, felt the job is not finished after these two victories. The team still has five matches to play in group stages. "It's still very early. But of course it's nice to hit form early in the season," he said.