3 clear indications from Rahul Dravid’s press conference ahead of Asia Cup 2023 ft. KL Rahul's fitness
Head coach Rahul Dravid's press conference two days before the first match of the 2023 Asia Cup has given a few clear indications about his plans for India.
There were multiple questions around the team before his media interaction, with KL Rahul's fitness and the team's trust in trust Shreyas Iyer being some of them. This led to exaggerated opinions, especially about India's batting order, with some pundits even asking Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, and Ravindra Jadeja to leave their long-held spots.
As of now, there's doubt regarding only one place in the playing 11, one that be addressed based on the match-ups and the conditions.
On that note, here are the clarifications and suggestions offered by Dravid in his press conference:
#1 KL Rahul will come back into 11 straight after recovery
Rahul Dravid clarified that KL Rahul won't be available for the first two matches against Pakistan and Nepal of the 2023 Asia Cup. He said the wicketkeeper-batter practiced well in the Alur training camp but said that the team wants to keep him at the National Cricket Academy for a bit longer as a precaution.
"From our perspective, it is just two less games that KL Rahul will miss... I mean, KL is batting really well, he is playing well, keeping well, doing everything well. It is just a slightly more cautious approach that we are taking with him leading into the World Cup, he will have a few match simulations over the course of the coming days," he said.
"We are hoping that it will just be the two matches that he will be missing. I am not worried about KL and Shreyas (Iyer), they are experienced players," he added.
This indicated that Dravid and the team are likely to bring Rahul back to the playing 11 as soon as he recovers completely. He was India's best batter at No. 5 before he picked up a thigh strain in the IPL and underwent surgery.
India had Sanju Samson in the reserves for this exact situation and they also have Ishan Kishan, who hasn't had a lot of success in the middle order in ODIs but has the advantage of being a left-hander. Whoever gets a chance against Pakistan and Nepal would need to perform exceptionally well to keep Rahul out.
#2 Rahul Dravid suggests Virat Kohli and Ravindra Jadeja will likely not bat No. 4
Rahul Dravid also suggested that despite trying about a dozen batters at No. 4 and No. 5 in the past year, he still trusts Shreyas Iyer and KL Rahul to take those spots. Iyer, like Rahul, was India's best player at No. 4. He scored over 800 runs, including two centuries, while playing in that position since his debut but didn't play the last few months due to a back injury.
Dravid said that Iyer is now fully fit and only needs chances, which the team will give him at the Asia Cup. He said:
"The No.4 and No.5 spots are talked about a lot, and it gives the impression that we do not have clarity over who is going to be there. I could have told you 18 or 19 months ago who would have been the candidates that we are looking for the No.4 or No.5 spot that we are looking for the World Cup. It was always going to be between Shreyas, KL and Rishabh (Pant)."
He added:
"There was no doubt in our mind that these three would be in the running. Obviously, it is unfortunate that all three in that position ended up with injuries in the space of a few months. What are the odds of that happening? Nobody can calculate for that."
This clarifies that Viral Kohli and Ravindra Jadeja, among other names who were being touted as possible No. 4 options, will bat in their usual positions.
#3 Jasprit Bumrah might not play all games of Asia Cup
Rahul Dravid stated that it was "great" to have ace pacer Jasprit Bumrah back and that they hope to "ease him into it slowly" after a serious back injury, likely suggesting that he might not play all games in the Asia Cup.
This could include the match against Nepal on September 4, only two days after the clash against arch-rivals Pakistan on September 2.
"It is great to have them back. Jasprit is someone who we have missed a lot, over the last two years he has not played too much games. We will ease him into it slowly. It was nice for him to get those overs in the tour of Ireland. We have a whole month to build him up before the World Cup. It gives us more options in the pace bowling department," he expressed.
India will likely see Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj as their two frontline pacers, with Mohammed Shami and Prasidh Krishna being the backups.