Rahul Dravid commits a massive blooper ahead of T20 World Cup final; reveals India's strategy vs South Africa

Ahead of the highly anticipated final of the ICC T20 World Cup 2024 against South Africa, India's head coach Rahul Dravid has dismissed any notion of them having an advantage due to their familiarity with the Barbados wicket in the big match on Saturday, June 29.

Dravid stressed that the Indian cricket team’s Super-8 match against Afghanistan in Barbados doesn't necessarily give them an edge over South Africa, who are yet to play at the venue in the ongoing T20 World Cup 2024.

However, he admitted that it could be beneficial to have prior experience playing on the Barbados surface, but the conditions can vary significantly from match to match. The outgoing Indian head coach has emphasized the importance of adaptability, a quality he believes has been a key to his team’s success in the ongoing T20 World Cup 2024.

Rahul Dravid dismisses Barbados advantage ahead of ICC T20 World Cup 2024 Final

Notably, India and South Africa both are entering the summit clash as the unbeaten teams in the tournament. Reflecting on the Men in Blue’s journey in the tournament, Dravid highlighted the team's ability to quickly adjust their game plan according to the conditions and the opposition's strengths.

He noted that this adaptability has been crucial in determining what scores they needed in various scenarios. As India prepares to face South Africa in the final showdown, Dravid underscored the team's focus on maintaining their adaptable approach and readiness to tackle any challenges in Barbados.

He expressed confidence in India’s ability to perform under pressure, emphasizing their collective effort and strategic flexibility as key factors to beat South Africa and win the T20 World Cup 2024.

Rahul Dravid said in the pre-match press conference in Barbados: “I mean, just the fact that we played a game in Barbados is nice. It's nice that we have that familiarity thereof having played on that surface in the past. But again, I think it's very hard to...

"We're not going to get exactly the same wicket that we got last time. It can be different. And I think what's really important and I think what we've done really well as a group, I think in this whole tournament, is we have shown the ability to adapt, to recognize what is a good score.”

200-plus score not possible in Barbados: Rahul Dravid

Dravid also ruled out the possibility of 200 or 200+ totals on the Barbados surface in the final. The head coach said that they would get a clearer picture once they looked at the wicket in the match, but stressed that scoring even 170 would look like 200 runs in Barbados for sure.

He signed off by saying, “The wicket was slightly slower and lower in that game. Not a bad wicket by any stretch of the imagination, but slightly slower and lower and we got a par plus score again. So, I think that should be the aim. It's not about only getting 200 here. 170 was like a 200. So, it's just about figuring out what it is. And hopefully, when we get to Barbados, we'll see what it's like.”