Each situation is unique – Rahul Dravid pinpoints key factors ahead of India vs Afghanistan

Team India will be starting their Super Eight campaign tonight as they take on Afghanistan at the Kensington Oval in Barbados. There has been a lot of talk about how India adapts to the new situation as they are in a completely different country with vastly contrasting situations from the pitches in the United States of America.

However, Rahul Dravid, the Indian head coach, believes that his wards are well in for this contest and when adaptability is in question, the Men in Blue will always have an upper hand due to their exhaustive cricket schedule all around the world.

Talking in the pre-match presser, Rahul Dravid pointed out, “Cricket is a very condition-specific game. It's one of the only sports left where the surface makes such an impact on the actual skill levels, the actual performance levels, what is an acceptable performance level. It's one sport that we play where the surface makes a huge difference and it has to be brought into consideration at all times. I think we saw that in the US and we saw that in New York.”

He further added, “Not every wicket is Hyderabad (where teams scored heavily in the recent IPL) or not every wicket can be the same. So, I think that's something we pride ourselves in as well. I think we are trying to also get that ability to be smart in our decision making, to try and assess situations cleverly.”

Dravid continued, “You might have all the stats, you might have all the data, but on the day, sometimes conditions can be very different to what you think it is. Just because a particular ground has produced a certain number of runs in the past or even in 10 days prior, it can be very different because the preparation of a wicket, the weather, so much can change. Even in the two or three days leading into a particular game, a lot can change that can force you to recalibrate and rethink. We will have to do that, be quick and smart and be able to do that and assess the conditions. I hope we will do that."

The Indian coach also added, “They don't play a lot of games at 10:30 (am). But look, I don't think it's too much of a hassle. (It's) not something that we would consider but then there are other things which you might consider like the slowness of the pitch or other factors. I'd say tactical things that might be slightly different. The guys are used to it now. I think there will be great crowds even for this game, whether it's 10:30 am or 8 pm. I expect most India games to have very good crowds. So, I think from that perspective, I don't really think it makes too much of a difference."

Dravid stated further, “I think each situation is unique. It's hard to keep something set in stone. At least that's my belief. I always do believe in being flexible in your thinking, being able to adapt to situations. What does your team require? What do the conditions require? I think it's something that we've always been conscious of, the concept of being able to have players who can be adaptable and float in that middle order if and when required..”

The Indian head coach concluded by saying, “A lot of times you make these changes, keeping something specific in mind. It works sometimes, it doesn't work sometimes. I think you can't judge everything only on the results. You always have to go behind and see what is the thinking behind some of these things. In the Pakistan game, we moved Axar (Patel) up the order. There was a specific thinking around it.”