After Whatmore, Uthappa on Kerala radar

The Kerala Cricket Association (KCA) which has thrown its net far and wide and successfully roped in World Cup winning coach Dav Whatmore, has begun to look for high profile cricketers to join the state squad.

A Kerala cricket administrator who did not wish to be identified told IANS that one big name is cricketer Robin Uthappa.

"His mother is a Keralite, while his father hails from Coorg and he plays for the Karnataka Ranji team and he speaks Malayalam fluently. The Kerala team badly seeks an opener and he has been performing very well in the ongoing IPL. Things are being talked out and if things churn out well, Uthappa will be opening for Kerala this season," the official said.

Every state Ranji squad can include up to three players from outside the state and Kerala have the services of Iqbal Abdullah, Jalaj Saxena and Bhavin Thakkar.

Of the three, the KCA wish to retain only one and hence is scouting for two -- of which Uthappa is one and another big name is also being talked about -- but KCA officials at the moment do not wish to reveal who the prized catch is going to be.

Whatmore, who won the 1996 World Cup with Sri Lanka and has also coached Pakistan, Bangladesh and Zimbabwe, was roped in by the KCA last month.

Due to his busy schedule, the 63-year-old Australian has agreed to coach the Kerala senior squad for just six months.

--IANS

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