India’s first-class cricket is as good as any other country, says Dav Whatmore

Whatmore is one of cricket’s most successful coaches. From guiding Sri Lanka to the top of the cricketing world in 1996 to playing a key role setting Bangladesh on its way to becoming a competitive side, Whatmore has seen and done it all.

His latest assignment, with Kerala, too seemed to go the right track — at least in the first two years. He took Kerala to the knockout stage for the first time in his first year, before the team made a semi-final appearance the year after. The recently-concluded 2019-20 season, however, was a miserable one as Kerala was relegated, finishing 17th among the 18 teams in the two top groups. 

Having seen First-Class cricket from close quarters in countries as varied as Australia, England, India, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Zimbabwe, the Australian rates India’s setup very highly.

“It is as good as in any country, including Australia and England. It is great to see so many new talents coming out of the Ranji Trophy every year. I remember being impressed by Shubman Gill and Mayank Markande when I first saw them in the Ranji Trophy (during Kerala’s match against Punjab last season),” Whatmore told The Hindu over the phone from Singapore. 

The current Ranji format, something Whatmore agrees with, has five teams qualifying from the top two groups and two from Elite Group C. One thing, however, that hasn’t pleased the 66-year-old is the way the Plate Group is handled. 

“The BCCI has got it right with the format of the Ranji Trophy. I am happy with the current system of five teams qualifying for the quarterfinals from the top two groups. I am not sure if the present system of one team from the Plate qualifying directly for the quarterfinals is right. The BCCI should also think about the obviously inflated statistics of the players from the Plate Group. Maybe those matches should not be considered First Class,” Whatmore added.