IND vs PAK: Pakistan placed on the same pedestal as Ireland by Rahul Dravid when enquired about India's preparations

Rahul Dravid has confirmed that the Indian team is preparing for their clash against Ireland tomorrow in the same way as they do before facing Australia or Pakistan.  

The Men in Blue are all set to begin their ICC T20 World Cup 2024 campaign tomorrow at the Nassau County Stadium, New York. The Indians will take on Ireland at 8:00 PM (IST) in their Group A opener before facing other teams like Pakistan, the USA, and Canada in the group. This will just be the second time that the Asians and Europeans are meeting at the T20 WC.

Their previous and only meeting in the competition had come in the 2nd T20 WC edition back in 2009 in the United Kingdom. India had defeated Ireland by 8 wickets under the leadership of MS Dhoni. The Indian team was the reigning champions of that edition, having won the event in its inaugural season in 2007, a year before the IPL started. 

Rahul Dravid says India has a lot of respect for Ireland 

T20 cricket in 2009 and T20 cricket in 2024 - has a huge difference. The format has become far more pacey and far more unpredictable. Even the smallest of teams can beat the big guns on their day and at a World Cup stage, the minnows are nothing less than surprise packages. 

During the 2022 T20 World Cup in Australia, we witnessed a few shocking results itself. Pakistan had lost to Zimbabwe while the Netherlands had become the reason for South Africa's exit from the Group stages.

With that in mind, Indian head coach Rahul Dravid has already cautioned his players that Ireland might be a small team but they have a shortage of quality cricketers. 

Therefore, Rahul Dravid, in his latest media appearance from New York, admitted that the team is keeping their intensity as high as possible during training. Ireland recently defeated Pakistan in a T20 match and thus they can't be taken lightly. Especially with the kind of format this is, Dravid wants no shortage in practice. 

Complacency is something that ruins a team's performance and Rahul Dravid doesn't want that to happen, at least in his final assignment as India's coach. 

"We are preparing for this match in a similar way as we are preparing for Pakistan and Australia. There will be no shortage in our preparation. We know that they recently defeated Pakistan."

"We know that Ireland plays a lot of T20 cricket. In this format, you can't take anyone lightly or with a look. We will definitely not take them lightly. We respect them a lot." - Dravid said during a recent press conference. 

Dravid says he has no issues with India's tight scheduling

Rahul Dravid was then asked to shed light on the hectic scheduling of the ICC T20 World Cup 2024. Just like a modest personality, Dravid states that he has no issues with the scheduling of the World Cup as it is the same for each and every team. 

"Everyone has the same schedule. Schedules are tight. Calendars are extremely tight. No complaints. It's the same for everyone." - Dravid concluded.