Rahul Dravid on Sri Lanka series: Winning is priority, not T20 World Cup selection

Coach Rahul Dravid’s message is crystal clear as Shikhar Dhawan-led India depart for limited overs tour to Sri Lanka

Former India captain and now coach of the Sri Lanka-bound Indian team, Rahul Dravid, is excited about his first assignment with the Shikhar Dhawan-led outfit. Dravid, 48, who has 24,208 international runs to his name, reckons the six limited-overs games—three ODIs and as many T20Is—starting with the ODI in Colombo on July 13, will be a great opportunity for the youngsters in the team to impress the national selectors ahead of the upcoming T20 World Cup, beginning in UAE on October 17.

‘Youngsters keen to do well’

“This tour is crucial for a lot more people other than Prithvi [Shaw] as well; someone like Devdutt Padikkal or Ruturaj Gaikwad, a lot of the younger boys will be extremely keen to do well. Whether they will get selected for the T20 World Cup or no, is a call the selectors to take. But good performances against international oppositions will help. If you can do well at this level, the selectors will surely take note,” Dravid said during a virtual press conference on Sunday ahead of the team’s departure to the island nation.

He, however, clarified that the primary objective of the tour is winning the series. “There are a lot of people in the squad, who are pushing for places or looking to cement their places in the T20 World Cup team, but the key goal for everyone here is to try and win the series. Hopefully, people can get the opportunity to put in good performances in the course of winning the series and give themselves the best chance to knock on the doors of the selectors,” added Dravid.

Team bonding

Skipper Dhawan, 35, who has 5,977 ODI and 1,673 T20I runs under his belt, said that the bonding and trust among players will make this team triumphant. “We are looking forward to creating a great bond between all the players. We know that once the bond is created when the trust is there and we all are on the right frequency, we will achieve what we are looking for. We want this team to be a very happy unit when we finish the tour,” said Dhawan, who will be leading an Indian side for the first time as regular skipper Virat Kohli is away in England with the Test team, preparing for an upcoming five-match series. 

India’s 20-member squad includes experienced campaigners like Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Hardik Pandya, Yuzvendra Chahal, and Kuldeep Yadav alongside newcomers Padikkal, Nitish Rana, Krishnappa Gowtham and Chetan Sakariya. “It’s a great blend of fresh and experienced players. As a coach, it’s exciting because you know that if you create a good environment, everyone will learn a lot,” Dravid added.

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