Dav Whatmore on Thursday said he hoped his team would not repeat their past mistakes even as he is trying to keep the focus away from his impeding departure as the Bangladesh coach.
"I try hard not to be so emotional. It is a serious game of cricket and I hope we do not repeat certain mistakes from the past. We want to play the game as well as we can. We want to try as good as we can," Whatmore said on the eve of the second Test against India, his last as the coach of the Asian side.
Bangladesh put up a spirited fight to hang on to a draw after being reduced to 149 for 7 in the first innings in reply to India's 387 for eight declared. Not only did they manage to avoid the follow on, courtesy of Mashrafe Mortaza's brilliant half-century, but also gave India a few things to ponder about.
While an upset series victory is a distinct possibility for Bangladesh, Whatmore said his side is not looking too far ahead and is focusing on playing good cricket
"We are playing against a very good side and the focus can not be on result-oriented issues or result-oriented statements. That would take away the focus from the real issue. We got to put our best foot forward," he said.
The Australian, who has been responsible for some of Bangladesh's best stint in international cricket, said his main task was to build a team that could compete in all conditions.
And Bangladesh proved that they were moving in the right direction after a stupendous showing at the World Cup, where they made it to Super Eights. Also, there was the memorable is the upset victory over Australia in a one-dayer in Cardiff in 2005.
"It is never really a job that is finished. Cricket continues. There is not a time when you can say it comes to a stop. It is a job that is never completed. I have tried to focus on making a team that can compete in all conditions."
Whatmore, who is widely tipped to over as the next Indian coach, believes Bangladesh have a great future ahead of them.
"We need to win more and reach a better team combination. It will happen in time. It is not that I want to get out of Bangladesh because of the food, the traffic, or the country. It has been four years and I too need to have a break, to attend to family. The doors are open. I am leaving on very good terms and a time comes when it needs to happen, you need to leave," he said.
