Ranji Trophy 2019-20 | One 'naughty' session cost Kerala the match against Bengal, feels Dav Whatmore
Kerala coach Dav Whatmore believes that his side Kerala lost the game versus Bengal in one session of madness, where the side were bowled out for 115, surrendering their opponents the match. Kerala have had an inauspicious start to the 2019/20 season, having drawn the first and lost the second game.
2018/19 semi-finalists Kerala seem to be struggling after a bumpy start in Ranji Trophy this season as they now prepare to face a strong Gujarat side in their first away fixture of the season. Kerala kicked off the season by drawing against Delhi from a must-win situation before they were crushed by Bengal.
Kerala coach Dav Whatmore couldn’t help but point out his batsmen’s fault which cost them their first defeat of the season. Kerala were bundled up for just 116 in their second innings against Bengal.
“It was those 30 naughty overs that made us lose,” the World-Cup winning coach from Australia told Sportstar. “You can’t win a game in a session, but you can go a long way towards losing one.”
Their 113-run quarterfinal win against Gujarat last season was the only retribution for Whatmore, who is currently struggling to keep his side in contention for a knockout phase spot. The Kerala coach admitted that it will be a good match against a great batting side like Gujarat.
“It feels nice to remember those 20 wickets we took then,” he said. “The wicket was different then. The venue was different then. It was an important game. And so is this one.”
“They are a very strong batting side. It would be a good match. And it feels nice to play an away match.”
Meanwhile, Whatmore’s counterpart Sairaj Bahutule seems to be in a great spot having clinched their opening encounter. Bahutule informed that the players are looking forward to their first home game and are raring to go with their skipper Parthiv Patel set to return from injury.
“It was good that we could start our campaign with a victory, that too against a strong Hyderabad side,” the former India leg-spinner said. “Kerala also is a very strong side.”
“Everyone is in good shape, we don’t have any injury worries at all,” he said. “The return of skipper Parthiv Patel, after his injury, has made our batting even stronger for this match.”