By Qaiser Mohammad Ali
IANS
Dhaka : Rival coaches Ravi Shastri and Dave Whatmore had contrasting emotions after India defeated Bangladesh in the second Test here. While interim cricket manager Shastri, who celebrated his birthday Sunday, guided India to a 1-0 series win, Whatmore finished his tenure with the defeat.
Shastri turned 45 and got a wonderful gift from Rahul Dravid's team as it won the second and final Test by an innings and 239 runs – their biggest ever – with over two days to spare at the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium.
A former India captain, Shastri is a lucky man. He led India in only one Test, against the West Indies in Madras in 1988, and won that match to have a 100 percent success record.
He played 80 Tests and scored 3,830 runs and bagged 151 wickets. In 150 One-Day Internationals, he aggregated 3,108 runs and captured 129 wickets.
Shastri accepted the job for one series as the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) failed to appoint a permanent coach following the expiry of Greg Chappell's tenure last month.
Whatmore, who led Sri Lanka to the surprise World Cup triumph in 1996 before joining the Bangladesh team, is a strong contender to replace Chappell beginning with India's tour of England next month.
The BCCI is expected to announce the name of the new coach by June 10.