From self-deprecating wit to a serious discussion on the future of the 50-over format, the importance of adaptability on different surfaces and how his mindset differs to the time he was leading India in the 2007 ODI World Cup, a relaxed Rahul Dravid touched a range of topics on Friday. With India’s World Cup campaign beginning against Australia on Sunday, Dravid – donning the role of India head coach -- was secretive when it came to the team composition though. When asked about Shubman Gill’s recovery from illness, he said they will take a call closer to the game. Will Shreyas Iyer take the No. 4 spot? “We’ll know at 2pm on Sunday,” he smirked.
On other matters, he was more forthcoming. The 2007 World Cup debacle in the Caribbean, which came under Dravid’s watch, is a memory that his captaincy tenure is associated with. How is his mindset heading into an ODI World Cup where he's India coach?
“It’s a long time ago that I was a player. I almost forget that I was a cricketer at one stage, to be honest with you. I have moved on from that. I don't think of myself as a cricketer anymore. Maybe that's the difference. I am focused on helping the group and supporting them to do the best they can. That's the job of the coach really, to support the vision of the captain and help him execute his vision over the next couple of months,” Dravid said on Friday.
Considered to be a deep thinker on the game, sometimes perceived to be his disadvantage, Dravid says he’s more at ease knowing that his role is only behind the scenes. “You recognise as a coach that once the game starts and the players cross the boundary, there's only so much you can do. We don't score a run or take a wicket. We can only support. A lot of our work is in the build-up to these games, in the practice sessions, hopefully in getting them in the kind of mindspace needed. It's about allowing the players to express themselves,” he said.
{{/usCountry}}Considered to be a deep thinker on the game, sometimes perceived to be his disadvantage, Dravid says he’s more at ease knowing that his role is only behind the scenes. “You recognise as a coach that once the game starts and the players cross the boundary, there's only so much you can do. We don't score a run or take a wicket. We can only support. A lot of our work is in the build-up to these games, in the practice sessions, hopefully in getting them in the kind of mindspace needed. It's about allowing the players to express themselves,” he said.
{{/usCountry}}More pertinently perhaps, Dravid still sees space for the 50-over game in the calendar at a time when the primacy of Tests and the popularity of T20s have taken precedence.
“Going forward, it's still a fantastic format to play,” he said. “How much of it is played will be decided by a variety of factors. Obviously with more and more T20 matches being added to the calendar, it will make it difficult to potentially have the same number of ODIs as we had between the 2015 and 2019 World Cup cycle. I don't think we will ever go back to those days, but I still sincerely hope we keep valuing this format. The (Mohammed) Siraj spell in the Asia Cup final is an example. You will never get to see that in a T20. As a coach and as someone who loves the game, I would love to see this format thrive and do well.”
At the World Cup, said Dravid, the performance in the middle overs may be the difference between victory and defeat. “It is obvious that the middle overs have become quite important, especially with the extra fielder inside the ring. In some ways, you have got to beat teams in the middle overs, whether it's by scoring more runs in that phase or by taking more wickets. There will be a focus on being a little bit more aggressive with both bat and ball in the middle overs,” he said.
There was also space for light-hearted banter. Informed that Rachin Ravindra – the star of New Zealand’s nine-wicket win over England on Thursday – was a combination of his and Sachin Tendulkar’s first names, the air-conditioned room broke into laughter on hearing Dravid’s response. “Watching him bat yesterday and hitting five sixes, there was more of the ‘Chin’ that was there. Not sure I could hit the ball off the square. Maybe the Sachin name helped him.”
Ashwin attempts the big hits
For the second straight day, ace off-spinner R Ashwin gave his batting a fair bit of attention. Interestingly, he was one of the first to strap on his pads for a batting stint on Thursday, followed by a near two-hour bowling workout. On Friday evening, he began by bowling off-spin at the nets before making his way to the centre for a hit against India’s throwdown specialists on one of the side pitches.
With the rest of the pitches on the square covered, Ashwin went about unleashing some big hits that sailed beyond the boundary. With the Chepauk pitch likely to stay true to its general character, India may employ three spinners for the game against Australia on Sunday. In that case, Ashwin will slot in at No. 8 in the batting order with Kuldeep Yadav and Ravindra Jadeja as the other spinners.