Indian Men’s Cricket Team head coach Rahul Dravid recently opened up about his plans for the upcoming ODI World Cup, likely to be played in October-November this year in India.
India are currently playing their 3rd three-match ODI series in home conditions this year. Having won the series against Sri Lanka and New Zealand, the ongoing ODI series against Australia, which will be the team’s final match before IPL kicks off, currently stands at 1-1.
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While speaking to the media ahead of the third ODI against the Aussies, Rahul Dravid discussed how India will not have many opportunities to play on home soil following the IPL ahead of the World Cup. He also stated that they have narrowed it down to 17-18 players, and a few out with injury, that will be considered for the World Cup squad, he said:
“Probably not going to get too many more games in our conditions. We had the opportunity to play in these conditions which is great. Yeah, coming out of the IPL to a large extent we are pretty clear about the kind of squad and the players we want. We have narrowed it down to 17-18 players.”
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Out of those who are regularly part of the squad – Jasprit Bumrah, Shreyas Iyer, and Deepak Chahar are currently dealing with injuries.
“We have some guys who are recovering from injuries and will come into the frame based on their recovery. All in all, we are pretty much in good space. We are able to give those who we have zeroed in on as many playing opportunities,” Rahul Dravid continued.
Following the IPL, India will tour England for World Test Championship final. They will then tour the West Indies and play the Asia Cup before the World Cup.
Rahul Dravid wants to try different combinations to team India ahead of the World Cup
Rahul Dravid also told the press that he is looking to try a few combinations of team India in preparation for the 2023 ODI World Cup.
With the tournament to be played in India, a variety of stadiums and pitch types are expected to be used in the tournament. India have developed a fine bowling attack of pacers and spinners, and Dravid claims that the team will be looking to try out different combinations of players to be used in the World Cup.
“There are a couple of different combinations that we would like to try. It is a big tournament, a long tournament in India, we want to have that flexibility in our squad. some times four fast bowlers, sometimes three spinners. Within the squad we will like to keep the options. just to ensure that we have covered all our bases for all conditions,” said Rahul Dravid.
Although we know that the 2023 ODI World Cup will be played in India in-and-around October-November, the grounds and exact dates are yet to be confirmed.
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Virat Kohli | Rohit Sharma | Rishabh Pant | KL Rahul | Suryakumar Yadav | Sanju Samson | Shreyas Iyer | Yuzvendra Chahal | Jasprit Bumrah