KOCHI:  As coach of Kerala’s Ranji trophy team, Dav Whatmore knows a thing about the standards of India’s domestic cricket scene. And the former international cricketer couldn’t disagree more with the derogatory comments made by fellow Australians Kerry O’Keeffe and Mark Waugh about the Ranji Trophy during the third Test.

O’Keeffe had remarked on air that Mayank Agarwal, who made his Test debut in Melbourne after some impressive domestic performances, must have got a triple hundred playing against railway canteen staff. His co-commentator Mark Waugh said that his first-class average of 50 (49.98) can be equated to 40 in Australia.

However, Whatmore disagrees with that assessment. “I think the standard of Ranji Trophy cricket is really good. Some good teams playing each other and it’s not really something to be sneezed at. I think, in many ways, Ranji Trophy can be compared to the Sheffield Shield,” he said. “I would think that more national team players play in Ranji Trophy than the Australian players do in the Sheffield Shield,” he added.

O’Keeffe had later issued a statement regarding his comments after Indian fans took offence on social media. “Those comments were irresponsible. Making comments about another international senior team was irresponsible. What O’Keeffe said was a joke. Kerry O’Keeffe is known for his humour. But he has got to be a little bit careful about what he says when you are talking about overseas teams and the same goes for Mark Waugh. It was very wrong,” the veteran coach said. 

Talking about India’s prospects in the final Test, he feels the visitors could win their first series Down Under. India head to Sydney leading 2-1 having retained the Border-Gavaskar Trophy. “What we’ve seen so far is what I expected. You’ve got a very good Indian batting and bowling team. Unfortunately, chasing a total they weren’t able to get enough runs in the second Test. But we know how good India’s pace bowling is and they’ve shown that. They have proved it on two occasions. We are aware of how strong the batting is. It’s nothing new and it’s not surprising that they have taken the lead.

In many ways, I suspect that it could have even been 3-0.” “They’ve got a very good chance (of winning the series),” he added. “The momentum is with them and the confidence is with them. They are led very strongly,” he said.The former World Cup-winning coach led Kerala to a historic quarterfinal finish last season. He also helped Kerala secure their first-ever wins against Bengal and Delhi.

Elite Group A and B
This season’s revamp has intensified the fray, especially in this group. Only Vidarbha sealed 1 among 5 quarterfinal spots available, and nine are still in with a shot. Matches which will impact the future of those teams are HP vs Kerala, Saurashtra vs Vidarbha, Baroda vs Karnataka & Bengal vs Punjab.

Elite Group C
Rajasthan capped off their rampaging run with a 10-wicket win over Goa, cementing a place in the quarters. The other knockout slot available was a two-horse race between Jharkhand and Uttar Pradesh. But with the former being denied a victory at home by Tripura, UP  became the other side to progress to the business end.

Plate Group 
This pool has three sides with chances. Though Uttarakhand lead the table with 37, Bihar have been threatening to overtake them, notching up five wins on the trot to be placed three points behind. Puducherry too have been making a strong case with four outright wins in their last five, placed third with 32.