The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) has criticised Dav Whatmore after he expressed his interest in succeeding Greg Chappell as India coach.

The BCB were upset that Whatmore threw his hat in the ring while he was still in charge of Bangladesh's World Cup campaign. "We are in the middle of a very high-profile tournament. At this stage any such interest of the coach would certainly distract our team," Riazuddin Al Mamun, a joint-secretary of the BCB, said.

"He should not have said so, when we have a contract with him." Whatmore's contract with BCB ends in May.

Whatmore conveyed his keenness to coach India after Chappell handed in his resignation on April 4. "If there is a position and an opportunity there, I will be very interested," he told the television channel CNN-IBN.

Whatmore was at the helm when Sri Lanka won the World Cup in 1996 and has coached Bangladesh to some impressive wins against big opponents.