Rahul Dravid informed that the Test players won’t be having any red-ball match practice before the first Test against Australia in Nagpur starting February 9 on the eve of the third One-Day International against New Zealand at Indore’s Holkar Stadium.
The Indian team will undergo a preparatory camp before the Border-Gavaskar Trophy series, but no player in the squad will be released to play Ranji Trophy ahead of the contest against the visiting Australians. It has been quite some time since the team had a camp before a series, owing to the packed cricketing calendar over the past few years.
Rahul Dravid: Management Was Keen To Call A Few Cricketers In The Lead Up For Preparation Camp But Agreed With Selectors Not To Touch Player Playing In Ranji Quarter Finals
The Test players won’t be having any red-ball match practice before the first Test against Australia in Nagpur starting February 9, head coach Rahul Dravid informed on the eve of the third One-Day International against New Zealand at Indore’s Holkar Stadium.
Rahul Dravid was asked whether there was any thought of releasing some players for the Ranji Trophy as the series against the Kiwis had already been secured. The Ranji quarter-finals are scheduled to take place from January 31 and Rahul Dravid said that the Indian team’s build-up for the Test series is at the same time.
“We are quite keen to call a few guys in the lead-up for our preparation camp and have already agreed with the selectors that we will not be touching anyone who will be playing in the Ranji Trophy quarterfinals,” Rahul Dravid said during a press conference on Monday.
India’s preparatory camp for the four-Test series against Australia is clashing with the Ranji Prophy quarterfinals. The Ranji Trophy quarterfinals are slated for January 31 while the preparatory camp for India vs Australia series starts on February 2. India play their first Test match against Australia on February 9.
Before the Border-Gavaskar Trophy series, the Indian team will undergo a preparatory camp. But no player will be released to participate in the Ranji Trophy before the series against the Australians at home. Due to the busy cricketing schedule over the past few years, the team hasn’t conducted a camp before a series for quite some time.
Rahul Dravid: BCCI Has A Right To Pull Cricketers Out Of IPL If Any Of Them Are Injured
Additionally, the team management has opted not to release any players who are a part of the Test squad for the Ranji Trophy. However, the club will consider any player who does not play in a Test once the series begins.
“If an opportunity presents itself where someone is not playing in our team and he is required for a semifinal or a final, we will certainly look at it.”
The former India captain was also quizzed about workload management and how they will balance it out, especially with the Indian Premier League starting in a couple of months’ time. The BCCI has reportedly decided that some players will be stopped from playing in Indian Premier League (IPL) from 2023 onwards for workload management.
“For the IPL, our medical team is constantly in touch with the NCA (National Cricket Academy) and the franchises and if there are any issues, we do connect with them and see what’s happening. If any of the big players are injured or if there’s any concern, of course the BCCI has a right to pull them out.
“But if they are fit, we do release them for the IPL because it is a very big tournament for the BCCI and for us (the team) as well,” Dravid explained at length.
He said that even though the 2024 T20 World Cup is far away, the IPL 2023 is a good tournament to assess performance in the shortest format of the game. It is to be noted that two major ICC tournaments will be played this year – one in June (Asia Cup 2023) and another in October-November (ODI World Cup 2023).