MIRROR IMAGE: Team India captain Rahul Dravid (left) and predecessor Sourav Ganguly at adjacent nets at the Sher-e-Bangla Stadium in Dhaka on Thursday, the eve of the second Test against Bangladesh. (AP)

Dhaka: It may be a cliché that there is nothing static in life, yet the day before the final Test at the Sher-e-Bangla Stadium seemed frozen in time.

There is so much waiting to happen in Indian and Bangladesh cricket after this match — the last for Ravi Shastri and Dav Whatmore with their respective sides. Both, however, remained focused on the unfinished job.

It looked just another routine day for Whatmore when he took his troops out on Thursday. The Australian, in shorts and a fluorescent vest, was in typical mood — a mixture of fun and seriousness.

There was a game of soccer, a few drills and a brief nets session. Some tips for Mashrafe Mortaza followed, and a joke at the expense of Javed Omar. Thereafter, Whatmore was off to discussing strategy with captain Habibul Bashar.

This is nothing new for Bangladesh under Whatmore. But to do it for one last time, against a team he is tipped to take over, has transformed the usual into something out of the ordinary.

Perhaps in tune with the ambience, Shastri decided to go for indoor nets — leaving Whatmore to plot strategy with his captain.

Whatmore kept his emotions in check and reminded his boys of the unfinished task. “There is still a serious game of cricket left for us and we are focused on not repeating the mistakes we have been making,” he said on Thursday.

“We need to win consistently and it will happen with time,” he said, indicating that a draw in his final match as Bangladesh coach will be a good enough farewell gift.

“Cricket in Bangladesh will continue without me. 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 building a team that can compete in all conditions.”

Will he be leaving on a bitter note? Whatmore shot back: “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 a break to spend time with family.”

Asked for an insight into the weaknesses of Dravid & Co., Whatmore offered a straight bat, saying his focus was still on Bangladesh.

The nature of the wicket remained a matter of conjecture. It’s a virgin strip, prepared by Australian Richard Winter.

According to Dravid, the pitch will get slower and lower as the match progresses. Bashar, on the other hand, thinks it will have more bounce than the Chittagong track.

Dravid made it clear that with Anil Kumble’s recovery, India will stick to the five-bowler strategy. V.V.S. Laxman, Yuvraj Singh and Vikram Rajvir Singh are the ones out from the XV. Either Rajesh Pawar or Ishant Sharma will make his debut.

Dravid is determined to return home on a winning note. “If we play to potential, we should win,” he said confidently.

Dravid’s wish and Whatmore’s farewell could well be shaped by the weather gods. Rain lashed the city late on Thursday evening and one hopes it doesn’t play spoilsport again.

Meanwhile, Bangladesh added quick Mohammed Sharif to their squad. Their only change from the Chittagong XI, however, could be the inclusion of Syed Rasel in place of Emanuel Haque Jr.

TEAMS

India (from): Wasim Jaffer, Dinesh Karthik, Rahul Dravid, Sachin Tendulkar, Sourav Ganguly, Mahendra Singh Dhoni, Anil Kumble, Zaheer Khan, Rudra Pratap Singh, Ramesh Powar, Ishant Sharma/Rajesh Pawar.

Bangladesh (from): Javed Omar, Shahriar Nafees, Habibul Bashar, Mohammed Ashraful, Rajin Saleh, Saqibul Hasan, Tushar Imran, Mehrab Hossain Jr, Khaled Mashud, Mashrafe Mortaza, Mohammed Rafique, Shahadat Hossain, Enamul Haque Jr, Syed Rasel.

Umpires: Daryl Harper, Billy Doctrove; TV: Nadir Shah.

Match Referee: Roshan Mahanama.

Match starts: 9.30am.