Dav Whatmore out of contention

MUMBAI, June 4: The final countdown to select Team India's next coach begins in Bangalore on Monday.
The BCCI's high-powered coach selection panel headed by chief Sharad Pawar will hopefully come up with an answer by late evening on Monday.
Pawar's panel comprises secretary Niranjan Shah, joint-secretary MP Pandove, treasurer N Srinivasan apart from former captains Sunil Gavaskar, Ravi Shastri and S Venkatraghavan.
The smart money would be on former Australian batsman Dav Whatmore walking away with the job. But the end result is not that easy as it looks and so it would not be a surprise if a decision is not reached on Monday night.
One thing is certain: whoever is chosen will have to work with bowling coach Venkatesh Prasad and fielding coach Robin Singh. Both the Indians, along with the new head coach, are expected to be handed a year's term.
Whatmore may have the credentials to back his ‘vocal interest' in the job vacated by another Australian, Greg Chappell. TOI was the first to report that Whatmore is all set to be appointed as coach. The situation remains largely unaltered but winds of opposition are blowing.
It comes not just from a few members of the panel but in the form of a new candidate in the fray: former South Africa coach Graham Ford. It is learnt that Ford has contacted the BCCI and expressed his interest in the job.
Currently director of cricket with Kent, Ford also has 'strong backers' in the Indian cricket fraternity especially from those in the team. And it wouldn't be a surprise if he emerges as Whatmore's challenger.
When Ford was South Africa coach, the team won 9 of the 11 series they played between 1999-2001. Ford, a one-time understudy to the late Bob Woolmer, has had similar success with South African provincial side Natal and later on with Kent.
Whatmore is also at the centre of the usual Indian vs foreigner debate with one of the panelists, Gavaskar, indirectly criticising his role with the Bangladesh side during the recent India series in his syndicated columns. Another legend, Kapil Dev too has been critical of Whatmore and feels that an Indian should take over as coach.
But these detractors apart, the panelists have hardly endeared themselves to the senior players in the team. The seniors believe that the panel should have ideally been made up of younger members who would have done a lot more groundwork in the process.
In the current scenario, all the hard work has been done by the players themselves. The players have put already made their preference in favour of a foreigner.
The only Indian they had preferred was Ravi Shastri, interim cricket manager on the Bangladesh tour. But Shastri is unavailable due to his media commitments. The next best choice, Tom Moody, had made up his mind well before the World Cup ended.
A few more Indian names are also likely to crop up on Monday morning but they are expected to be the usual suspects, Sandeep Patil and Mohinder Amarnath.
A former coach, Madan Lal, has also shown interest. Another former opener, Chetan Chauhan is being spoken about as an alternative.
All in all, the stage is set for an interesting climax — one which will be reached, hopefully ,by Monday night when Whatmore would be fast asleep at his home in Melbourne.