Whatmore is out, coach race down to Graham Ford and Ranatunga

Team India is on the verge of getting its third foreign coach in a row. But it will not be Dav Whatmore.

Team India is on the verge of getting its third foreign coach in a row. But it will not be Dav Whatmore. In fact, it will not be an Australian at all.

Instead, the man who will fly down to Chennai on June 9 for a 8220;discussion8221; and 8220;presentation8221; is former South African coach and current cricket director of England8217;s Kent county, Graham Ford.

Ford8217;s name, which popped up for the first time last week, has received the strong backing of Indian players, most significantly from skipper Rahul Dravid. He has also been recommended strongly by South Africa veterans Jonty Rhodes and Shaun Pollock.

However, the BCCI is yet to reach for the pen, preferring to throw the name of another candidate in the mix, who may also be asked to show up in Chennai next week 8212; Arjuna Ranatunga.

Ranatunga8217;s name was pushed by former captain Sunil Gavaskar during the meeting of the BCCI8217;s coach selection panel here this evening. But the Board chose to keep the former Sri Lankan skipper8217;s name under wraps, simply because it8217;s not yet had a chance to sound him out in detail.

Ranatunga, who led Sri Lanka to World Cup glory in 1996, is now a prominent political voice in Colombo, and is 8220;willing8221; to make the Chennai trip. But then, he has no coaching credentials to speak of, except for his exceptional player-management skills. Which brings the focus back to 46-year-old Ford, who came on Dravid8217;s radar in 2002, when the Indian skipper appeared for his second stint with the county.

Ford was an associate of the late Bob Woolmer when he was coach of South Africa, and took over the team from 1999-2001 until the match-fixing scandal broke out. He has also coached the domestic South African team, Nashua Dolphins.

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What may also work in Ford8217;s favour is that he is known to be a low-profile personality, limiting his interactions with the media to a bare minimum, which is what Indian players are looking for after the Greg Chappell experience until he quit after the World Cup in March.

That apart, Ford has a strong all-round sports background, having made it to domestic tennis and football squads8212;he has also been a rugby referee. Then again, Ford guided South Africa to nine series wins out of 11 in his two years at the helm, from 1999 to 2001.

8220;The players and the committee members are highly impressed,8221; said BCCI treasurer N Srinivasan after a 90-minute meeting of the seven-member panel that included Gavaskar, interim coach Ravi Shastri and former skipper S Venkataraghavan.

8220;One more person is in contention, but we cannot disclose the name now because we are not sure of his availability,8221; Srinivasan added, referring apparently to Ranatunga.

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As for ex-Bangladesh coach Whatmore, his apparent over-eagerness to coach India first raised the alarm bells. Then, he scorched his chances by revealing in Dhaka recently that he had been 8220;approached by the BCCI8221;. Obviously, that did not go down well with the players or the Board.

8220;Neither the players nor the committee were convinced about him,8221; said Board sources.

The Ford Graph

1992: Coach of Natal

1998: Coach of South African A team

1999: Assistant to Bob Woolmer, took over after Woolmer8217;s contract expired with 1999 World Cup

2001: Was sacked after Hansie Cronje match fixing affair

2004: Moved to Kent as director of cricket

2006: Signed fresh contract with Kent to stay on till 2008