Team India head coach Rahul Dravid, talked about the potential alterations in the Indian World Cup for the eagerly anticipated ICC World Cup in 2023. He reiterated that if any changes are required, the NCA and chief selector Ajit Agarkar will make the final choice on the matter heading into the marquee event.
During the Asia Cup Super 4 encounter against Bangladesh, Axar Patel suffered a left quadriceps strain and was ruled out of the finals of the tournament. Indian selectors and team management are sweating out the availability of the left-handed all-rounder for the marquee event, as they looking at Ravichandran Ashwin as a potential candidate to replace him in the 15-men squad for the World Cup.
Speaking to the media after the completion of the 3rd ODI in Rajkot, Rahul Dravid revealed as of now the team will be sticking with the same squad for the World Cup and reckons that the chief selector and NCA will decide on the change after they have more information about Axar Patel’s injury recovery.
“We’ll have to wait for an official confirmation on a decision on that. The NCA is in touch with the selectors, they are in touch with Ajit [Agarkar]. I wouldn’t want to make any comments on that. If there are any changes, you guys will hear about it officially. As of now, there are no changes,” Rahul Dravid said.
Ravichandran Ashwin was called back into the lineup as a backup option for the Australia series. The senior spinner has performed exceedingly well on the conditions that are conducive to batting and the Tamil Nadu spinner is touted to replace the left-handed all-rounder in the World Cup squad given his vast experience in International Cricket.
It’s Really One Of The Hardest Things To Predict With The Dew – Rahul Dravid
Rahul Dravid emphasized the importance of playing at various locations across the nation throughout the following one and half months in India. He believes that it is challenging to predict the dew in India because the Men in Blue will play at nine different locations for the World Cup and provided examples of sudden climate changes at various locations in India.
“It’s a big country, India, and there are many venues. It’s hard to say that it’s going to be the same everywhere. I think each venue will be different, each day will be different. It’s really one of the hardest things to predict with the dew.
“I’ve played in games where we come to practice the day before the game and the ground is soaked. On the day of the game, sometimes there’s no dew – people say when the clouds come in, there’s less dew,” Rahul Dravid added.
The team management has been extremely cautious in managing the workload of the players heading into the marquee event in the country, as they have rested the likes of Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, and Kuldeep Yadav, while Shubman Gill and Mohammed Shami were rested for the final game in Rajkot and everyone is expected to return to the team for the Warm-up game against England on Saturday.
