'Comfortable with what we've got': Rahul Dravid on India's potential playing XI in T20 World Cup

Rahul Dravid said that he and the team management has been clear with the players about the kind of skills they are looking for in the squad that will play in the T20 World Cup later this year.

India head coach Rahul Dravid has said that the team management is satisfied that the squad currently has the kind of skills that they were looking for earlier going into the T20 World Cup. Speaking to the media ahead of India's second T20I against South Africa in Guwahati, Dravid said that while things will never be perfect due to factors like injuries, he is confident that the management has arrived at a combination of players who have the skills that he was earlier looking for while building up to the marquee tournament.

India's T20 World Cup campaign starts on October 23 (PTI)

“We've been we've been pretty clear within the group about the kind of combinations we want and the kind of players that that we are likely to play in the XI. You can't pick them many months in advance, you won't know what we will get. I think we have been pretty clear about the kinds of skills that we want. For me, that is really important, (to know) the kind of squad that we take to the World Cup. Barring injury, what are the kinds of skills that we were looking for in different kinds of bowlers and batters. Without going in to too much detail, I think we have been always been very clear about it and I think to a large extent, we managed to get everything,” said Dravid.

The former India captain said that the team will be flexible in Australia, where the T20 World Cup will be hosted from October 16. The Super 12 stage, which is the first stage for India and most other top teams, starts on October 22, which India's campaign starting on October 23 with a match against arch-rivals Pakistan.

"Not everything will be perfect, due to factors like injuries and others. But I would like to say that I think in terms of the skills in the squad, everyone being fit, as we go ahead from here on in, I think we were quite comfortable with what we have. We have got the skills that allow us to play different combinations and different kinds of elevens based on the wickets that you might get in Australia and the different opposition. I think that's really important.

“In a tournament like the World Cup, you play on five different venues, or four different venues in our case, in the league stage and then hopefully onwards and you play five different teams. So you really need to have a little bit of versatility or flexibility in your squad that allows you to change things if you need to against a particular opposition. I think we've been very clear with that,” said Dravid.

“Obviously over the last few series, we probably haven't been able to play that squad due to a variety of reasons that can happen but but I think that most of the guys in the 15 now have had pretty decent amount of cricket or at least you know in the last six months.”