Have a fair idea of team combination for T20 World Cup, says Rahul Dravid after WI series

Rohit Sharma’s Team India beat West Indies by 17 runs to win the third and final T20I and inflict a whitewash over the hapless visitors. On Sunday evening (February 20), Rohit-led Indian team posted a daunting 184-5 and defended the score by 17 runs, despite Nicholas Pooran’s 61 and cameos from Rovman Powell and Romario Shepherd. 

Speaking after Team India’s 3-0 victory against the Windies in the press conference, head coach Rahul Dravid lavished huge praise on the national team. He further indicated that the team management already have a fair idea of the team combination for the 2022 T20 World Cup, in Australia. He said, “I think we have got a fair idea between Rohit and myself and the selectors and the management. I don’t think there’s a set formula to it. But we’re pretty clear about the balance and the combination (for the T20 World Cup)…We are just structuring a little bit of the team around it and also balancing individual workloads as well.”

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He added, “We have got a pretty fair idea of the kind of skills we’re looking for in Australia, with the kind of guys who are in running. Not everything is set in stone but we want to give everyone a fair chance to stake their claim for those spots.”

“You don’t want to cast your net too wide. We don’t also want to restrict ourselves to just 15 players. We want to give players opportunities, ensure that by the time we get to the World Cup, some of our guys have played at least 10-15-20 games. It gives Rohit a chance to play them, bowl them in positions that he wants to, but he also has to be balanced with the fact that we need to have a few back-ups of people in case of an injury,” the coach further explained.

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After a disastrous campaign in the 2021 T20 World Cup, Dravid-Rohit’s Team India have revamped in style and are going strong following the last year’s mega event. Since India’s T20 WC defeats versus Pakistan and New Zealand, respectively, they have a nine-match winning streak in the format and are yet to concede a game in the Dravid-Rohit era. 

India will now lock horns with Sri Lanka in three T20Is, at home, before the action shifts to two Tests.