IND vs SA: 'Little Unrealistic To Expect Us To Keep Playing The Same XI Over And Over' - Rahul Dravid

India will face off against South Africa in the second T20I of the three-match series at the Barsapara Cricket Stadium in Guwahati on Sunday, October 2. In the first T20 match, Rohit Sharma’s team beat Temba Bavuma’s team by 8 wickets at Greenfield International Stadium, Thiruvananthapuram, on September 28.

With just a few more days left until the start of the T20 World Cup, Jasprit Bumrah’s injury has raised concerns for the Indian team. Deepak Hooda and Jasprit Bumrah have been ruled out of the ongoing T20 series against South Africa, and the BCCI has yet to make a final decision on their participation in the T20 World Cup.

Indian head coach Rahul Dravid believes that India’s T20 World Cup team has covered all the bases and is confident in the abilities of the players in the team.

“I think we’ve been very clear about the kind of skills that we want in the 15. I think for me that is really important, the kind of squad that we picked for the World Cup — barring injury, what were the kind of skills that we were looking for, different kind of bowlers, certain batting skills — so all of those things, without going into too much detail, we’ve always been very clear about it, and I think to a large extent we’ve managed to get everything,” said Dravid in the press conference ahead of the second T20I against South Africa.

We’ve Got All The Skills – Rahul Dravid

Dravid stated that their squad is versatile, allowing them to play different combinations in Australian conditions. He also stated that they would play different XIs in Australia based on the different wickets.

“Not everything will be perfect, at times due to injury, due to many other factors. I think, in terms of the skills in the squad, everyone being fit, as we go ahead from here on in, I think we’re quite comfortable that we’ve got all the skills that will allow us to play different combinations and different kinds of XIs based on the different wickets that we might get in Australia and the different oppositions,” he added.

Dravid said that India will play at four different venues in the Super 12 stage of the tournament and that they are prepared with flexibility in their line-up.

“Not everything will be perfect, at times due to injury, due to many other factors. I think, in terms of the skills in the squad, everyone being fit, as we go ahead from here on in, I think we’re quite comfortable that we’ve got all the skills that will allow us to play different combinations and different kinds of XIs based on the different wickets that we might get in Australia and the different oppositions,” he added.

Unrealistic To Expect Us To Keep Playing The same XI – Rahul Dravid

Dravid admitted that they have not been able to field the same line-up in the last few series for various reasons. When asked if the constant shuffling of the starting eleven might make the players lose confidence in their place in the line-up, the Indian head coach said the communication in the team is excellent and playing the same XI, again and again, is a bit unrealistic.

“…obviously, over the last few series, we probably haven’t been able to play that squad due to a variety of reasons, and that can happen, but I think that most of the guys in the 15 now have had a pretty decent amount of cricket, at least in the last six months here,” he said.

“I think it’s a little unrealistic to expect us to keep playing the same XI over and over again. Some of the changes or experiments that people like to call them are sometimes forced upon you. If Bumrah doesn’t play the last game, it’s not because we are experimenting.

“It’s because he got injured. In the five-match series against South Africa in June, we played exactly the same XI in all five matches. People were saying, ‘why don’t they change the XI?’.so I think we can’t win either way,” he said.