With pace lynchpin Jasprit Bumrah ruled out of India's preparatory series for the ICC T20 World Cup in Australia, head coach Rahul Dravid in his press conference ahead of India vs South Africa 2nd T20I revealed how the team is gearing up for the marquee competition Down Under and why management has been making constant changes to the playing XI.
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Takeaways from Dravid's press conference
Dravid on Bumrah's fitness
- We are awaiting official confirmation on the next steps. As of now, he's officially ruled out of this (SA) series. But we will see what happens over the next few days.
- Honestly, I've not gone deeply into the medical reports, I rely on the experts to tell me what it is. They ruled him out for this series and he's being assessed. We will know in due course what happens in the future
Also read: 'Fingers Crossed': Sourav Ganguly on Jasprit Bumrah's participation in T20 World Cup
Dravid on players getting injured ahead of T20 World Cup
- To a large extent we manage to get everything. Not everything will be perfect. It happens, it's part and parcel of the game, we are not the only team which suffers from injuries.
- Obviously if they happen closer to big tournaments they can upset your plans a little bit. Everyone is making good efforts to minimise the injuries as much as possible
Dravid on different team combinations ahead of T20 World Cup
- I know there is a little bit of noise from the outside but in the group, communication has been very good and there's clarity. It's a bit unrealistic to expect us to keep playing the same guys over and over again, sometimes they are forced upon you -- like Bumrah.
- We played the same XI against South Africa in June if you remember, and people kept saying why don't they change. But in the group we're very sure of what we are doing.
- Sometimes, there are a lot of things people won't know from outside, what are the niggles, how we are going to manage, how we are preparing for a Test when there's a series in Ireland. It's hard to just explain.
Also read: Does Mohammed Siraj deserve a place in India's T20 squad? editorji decodes
Dravid: How different combinations help Team India's preparations for World Cup
- We are quite comfortable that we have got all the skills that allow us to play different combinations and different kinds of XIs based on the wickets and oppositions. That's really important in a World cup when you play in 4-5 different venues.
- You need to have that little bit of versatility and flexibility in your squad that allows you to change things.
- Over the last few series, we probably have not been able to play that squad due to a variety of reasons.
- But most of the guys in the 15 now have had a pretty decent amount of cricket in the last six months.
- You can't pick an XI months in advance, you don't know the wicket, and what it's like.
Dravid on Harshal Patel's progress after coming back from fitness
- We're very happy with the way he's progressing. He bowled a phenomenal last over against Australia in Hyderabad. The more and more games he plays, the better for him. He's really a mentally strong cricketer.
- He has been phenomenal for the franchise he plays in, even in international cricket he has played some good spells. He's preparing really well, he's practising really hard