Team India will start their World Cup campaign on June 5 against Ireland. (PC: X.com)“Top-four is a trophy.” That used to be Arsene Wenger’s staple one-liner towards the latter half of his managerial career, when Arsenal had lost their title-winning mojo. The legendary Gunners boss was happy with his side’s consistency that secured Champions League football year after year. But the fans were far from happy. They craved silverware.
As Rahul Dravid spoke to reporters two days before India’s T20 World Cup opener against Ireland on Wednesday, the Wenger analogy came to mind. Notwithstanding India’s ICC trophy drought for more than a decade, Dravid praised India’s consistency at world events.
“To be very honest, I think we have actually played really well in these World Cup tournaments,” said the Indian team head coach. “In terms of our consistency, we have been very consistent. Making the semi-final in the T20 one in Australia (in 2022). The World Test Championship is slightly different in terms of it’s not one tournament, but it’s a whole cycle, but playing extremely well in the cycle to get to the final there again (in 2023). The 50-over World Cup (in 2023), where we had a great run and went into the final. In terms of our consistency, in terms of the quality of cricket that we have played in these big tournaments, I think we have been right up there with some of the best teams.”
Dravid is a bona fide legend of Indian cricket and he is certainly not a defeatist. But is he a winner? A winner knows how to get over the line, and India under his charge have failed to do that. The most followed cricket team in the world can’t hide behind the fact that they have been by and large consistent in ICC events, without winning silverware.
Dravid, though, spoke about playing good cricket that took the team to title-winning positions.
“Hopefully, we play good cricket to get ourselves into those positions again,” he said. “Then, maybe play good cricket on the day to get across the line. But the important thing when you start these tournaments is not to think about that. It is to actually think about getting into those positions again. I think that’s as hard as actually winning those games at times. You have to find yourselves in those positions where you are pushing for glory, and that’s all you can do as a group and as a team. Our whole goal will be to try and get ourselves once again into a position where we give ourselves a chance to be able to win a tournament.”
Dravid likes to put things in perspective. Ahead of the 2007 ODI World Cup, when he was the captain of the Indian team, he had sort of criticised Indian fans’ obsession for the showpiece event. He prefers to look at the bigger picture. But the fact of the matter is that nobody remembers the runner-up. The title-winner is celebrated.
From that perspective, India face the demand of winning the T20 World Cup in the United States and the Caribbean. Do they have the team to do it? As regards to their batting line-up, it lacks freshness. In this T20 World Cup also, they are trying to do the same thing that they have done over the past few World Cups, expecting different results. There’s a decent chance that when they play against Ireland, India’s batting line-up might look almost a carbon copy of the one last time around, the semi-final against England in Adelaide in 2022. They will also have to address the elephant in the room, the strike-rate issue. And the way the pitch at the Nassau County International Cricket Stadium has played so far – during India’s warm-up game against Bangladesh and the match between Sri Lanka and South Africa on Monday – upping it won’t be easy.
India’s bowling attack is better this time, with Jasprit Bumrah and Kuldeep Yadav – the two genuine wicket-takers – in their ranks. The team is good enough to play consistent cricket and reach the semifinals. But the difference between winning the trophy and finishing a close second could well be psychological. Once again, to draw a football analogy, it’s a bit like Arsenal and their Premier League title challenge.
Dravid stressed upon decision-making at critical moments. “It’s our ability to use our experience. It’s our ability to execute in the middle. It’s our ability to make the right decisions whether with the bat or with the ball at those critical moments, which will be the defining factor. We would rather focus on that rather than kind of worry about the expectations.”
Meanwhile, he confirmed that this tournament would be his last as India coach, as he hasn’t re-applied for the job. “I have really enjoyed coaching India, and I think it’s a truly special job to do. I have enjoyed working with this team, and it’s a great bunch of boys to work with. Unfortunately, just the kind of schedule and where I find myself at this stage in my life, I don’t think I will be able to re-apply.”