New Delhi: Indian coach Rahul Dravid addressed the press before the much-awaited India-Pakistan encounter. He was asked about various combinations the team would go with regard to the playing XI and Ravindra Jadeja’s injury, which is one of the most concerning issues for the team at the moment. The coach also shed some light on Virat Kohli and his form in the Asia Cup.
Talking about Virat, he made it clear that he is not concerned about the batter, He said that the people are “a bit obsessed with his statistics and numbers.” He added that he is happy with his performance and it is good that Virat came back fresh from the break. Talking about his performance and the contribution to the team, Dravid said, “For us, it’s about the contributions he can make in different phases in the game and what the contribution is. It doesn’t have to be in fifties or hundreds or a stat. Even small contributions mean a lot in T20 cricket, what is the role of a player and what the team needs.”
He was asked about Ravindra Jadeja’s fitness and most importantly will Jadeja be a part of the T20 World Cup. Answering the question he said, “He is under the care of the medical team, he is going to see the doctors, see the experts. The World Cup is still a fair bit away, and we don’t want to jump to any conclusions and rule him out or rule him in. We’ll see how it goes.”
Earlier a BCCI official told PTI that the all-rounder will undergo major knee surgery and will be out of action for an indefinite period of time. This is surely a concern for India as Jadeja has been a crucial part of both of their victories in the Asia Cup. He scored a 35 off 29 against Pakistan and took Babar Hayat’s wicket in the game against Hong Kong.
When asked about the team combinations and workload management, he made it clear that they will be playing their best XI and there will be no workload management leading to the T20 World Cup. There will be changes with regard to the conditions and the opposition or in case someone gets injured, he added. Talking about the selection of Rishabh Pant and Dinesh Karthik, he said that there is no first choice playing XI, they will play the conditions and the opposition.
