'Players Make A Coach'

"Definitely, captain is the boss. He is in-charge of the team,"Whatmore said at a media interaction.

Pointing out that the job of a coach was still evolving, Whatmore said,"It's the players who make a coach. They are the ones who have to go to thebattlefield. The coach creates an environment where the best in the boys comesout."

Asked if it was proper to put the blame on the coach if a team lost, hesaid, "When a team wins, the players get the accolades. So, when a teamloses, everyone should share responsibility."

To a query if he was in favour of the coach having a voting right inselection committee meetings, the former Australian batsman said he had aflexible stand on that.

"I had a vote in selection meetings in Bangladesh. But if you ask mewhether I subscribe to that, I will say I don't. It all depends on the situationin a particular country," he said.

Whatmore, on how he would handle the Indian superstars and their varyingegos, said a coach should be able to communicate to all sorts of players.

"Part of the coach's job is to be able to communicate differently withall sorts of players with the single aim of enabling the team to win," hesaid.

"What a coach provides to one set of players is different from what heprovides to the other set. The coach must be able to provide the right thing atthe right time at the right level," Whatmore said.

"It is no surprise that there will be lot of superstars in India, whichhas a rich cricketing tradition. One needs to create new stars so thatpeople remain glued to the game," he added.

But Whatmore refused to go deeper into the matter, saying it would not beproper for him to comment unless he had a first hand knowledge of the players.

The Aussie said he was aware of former Indian coach Greg Chappell's problemswith superstars.

"When one goes into things one doesn't keep his eyes closed. My eyes areopen. But I don't want to comment on Greg's methods. He is a fantastic personwhom I personally know," he said.

On whether he would prefer a break or join the job of coaching Indiastraightaway if the BCCI gave the nod, the Sri Lanka-born Aussie said "Inan ideal world I would have preferred a break. But international cricket doesnot give time."

He added that he was keen to get the job as India's next coach because it wasthe right step forward in the learning process. "It is a logical extensionto a bigger challenge. It is the right step forward in the learning process as acoach," he said.

"After four years you need a different challenge. I was asked by theBangladesh Cricket Board to continue, but I thought it was time to move forward.

"I am not India's coach. There have been speculations. It is just that Ihad atalk with the Indian Cricket Board To say that I have already been appointed isnot true," Whatmore said.

PTI