IND vs BAN: Hopeful To Pick Full-Strength Squad In ODIs From January: Rahul Dravid

India head coach Rahul Dravid is hopeful of fielding a full-strength squad in ODIs, barring injuries, starting from January, with nine home ODI matches scheduled against Sri Lanka, New Zealand, and Australia (three in each series) until March.

With one more game to play on Saturday, India lost the series to Bangladesh 2-0 after losing the second ODI to Bangladesh by 5 runs (December 10). With two games being postponed owing to weather last month, India also fell to New Zealand 1-0.

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India suffered a 3-0 loss to South Africa earlier in January but managed to win the ODI series against England and the West Indies by scores of 2-1 and 3-0, respectively. Overall, ODI cricket this year has not been up to par, and there are worries about the team’s fitness going into the World Cup in India in October-November of next year.

Due to the T20 World Cup’s focus on T20 Internationals, India was forced to rest several of its important players for the ODI format, and with the addition of injuries, there has been a great deal of inconsistent selection, which has also been reflected in the performance.

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“It is not easy to juggle three formats”: Rahul Dravid

When asked if batting and bowling in the middle overs was a problem, Rahul Dravid responded that it had not been easy not having the entire squad.

Speaking to reporters in Dhaka during his post-match press conference, Rahul Dravid said, “I guess from our perspective, it has not been easy to play. We don’t have a full squad. Hopefully, from January, depending on injuries, we will get a full squad to play the home series. We have nine ODIs before IPL (3 vs NZ, 3 vs SL, and 3 vs Aus) and hopefully, we will get to play a settled squad in those games,”

“In the last two years, we had prioritized T20s a lot as there were two World Cups. In the next 8-10 months, we will be prioritizing ODI cricket. It is not easy to juggle three formats. Now, our white ball boys (specialists) will get some rest with Test matches being played,” Rahul Dravid added.

In the third ODI on Saturday, the visitors will try to earn a consolation victory. India lost the opening ODI by a wicket as well.