T20 World Cup 2022: “Hoping it all clicks together over the next 3 or 4 games” – Rahul Dravid’s ‘unwavering’ backing for KL Rahul

KL Rahul will continue to be backed and he shouldn’t be gauged by the runs he’s scoring, reiterated India head coach Rahul Dravid. He confirmed that the 30-year-old will open in India’s fourth match against Bangladesh at the Adelaide Oval on Wednesday.

KL Rahul has managed just 22 runs so far in the World Cup – 4(8) vs Pakistan, 9(12) vs Netherlands, 9(14) vs South Africa. However, Dravid rubbished all the talk around his poor form. Recalling the 33-ball 57 he smashed against Australia in the warm-up game, the legendary batter said the opener opener has looked in good nick throughout and that his technique is suited for Australian conditions.

“I think he's a fantastic player and he's got a proven track record. He's done really well. I thought he's been batting superbly. And these things can happen in T20 cricket sometimes. It's not been that easy for top-order batters; this tournament has been pretty challenging. I thought he was superb in the practice game against Australia, against Mitchell Starc and Pat Cummins. It was a pretty good attack, and I thought he batted superbly that day. So he's actually playing really well.

"Just hoping it all clicks together over the next three or four games. We know his quality, we know his ability, and he's really well-suited for these kind of conditions and pitches. He's got a good all-around game. He's got a very strong back-foot game, which is obviously very much required in these conditions. So yeah, we're pretty confident and happy with the way he's hitting it,” Rahul Dravid told reporters at the pre-match press conference.

He added that there is absolute clarity within the team and all the players have been given a sense of security and assurance. Dravid also praised skipper Rohit Sharma for buying into the philosophy.

“We have a lot of conversations with our players. It's hard to get into exact details of what conversations you have with your players. But rest assured, I think both in word and in action, over the last year he knows he has our support. He's known that. There's been a lot of clarity about what our side is going to be, coming into this tournament, and we haven't wavered from that for a very long time. Yes, because we play a lot of cricket, you might see a lot of different people playing in different situations, in different games. There have been a lot of injuries, including him [KL Rahul]. He's had phases where he's unfortunately been injured. And that's the great thing about Rohit, that he's really shown them that confidence and that belief,” the 49-year-old said in response to a Sportskeeda query.

KL Rahul underwent a sports hernia surgery earlier this year, before enduring a bout of Covid-19. The first T20I he played in 2022 was the Asia Cup opener against Pakistan. Since then, he has scored 328 runs in 13 innings with four half-centuries to boot.

Not just KL Rahul’s runs, the number of balls faced also paints an uncharacteristic picture. He has amassed those 22 runs from 34 deliveries, which means an abysmal strike-rate of 64.70. Rahul Dravid, though, harped on the importance of adaptability. Underlining the diverse nature of Australia, he explained how it is okay for batters to first get their eye in.

“In these conditions, maybe we are able to afford him that time. I think every wicket is different. That’s again one of the things this tournament has shown, playing in different parts of Australia. The grounds are so different. Suddenly you are playing in Perth the other night where the boundaries were 80 yards. You come here, and it's suddenly different. The kind of shots you'll play here will be very different to the kind of shots you'll play in Perth. You'll have to bowl different kind of balls, which I think is a unique nature of playing this tournament in this country.

"Almost game to game, you're having to adapt your tactics, your strategies, to different conditions. That's the uniqueness of it all. If the conditions so dictate, that the ball is nipping around doing a bit, then we can afford our batsmen to maybe be a little bit more conservative, keep wickets in hand and then target. I think it's about adapting and being smart. I don't think there's just one way to play T20 cricket in all conditions,” he elaborated.

His opening partner Rohit Sharma’s number isn’t impressive either – barely touching 120. The captain has scored 73 runs from the three matches, the tally boosted by the scratchy 53 he scored against the Netherlands in Sydney.

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“Kohli has scored runs, who's the next guy?” – Rahul Dravid on shielding against white noise

India's top three has to fire in unison for the team to bode well

Until Virat Kohli scored the much-awaited 71st ton – 122* off 61 – against Afghanistan, questions on the former India skipper’s dearth of runs would always be fielded in pressers.

Rahul Dravid gave that example while fronting queries on KL Rahul. He attached a rider, saying that the team doesn’t pay heed to the outside noise.

“It’s not at all difficult for us [to back players]. We don’t pay much attention to what is happening outside, what are people saying. We have certain ideas in mind; we have certain belief in players. We've played the game enough to know that people will go through some ups and downs. We also understand the nature of Indian cricket [media]. Once you've gone past Kohli and Kohli has scored runs, who's the next guy? Then Rahul scores runs, okay, let's look around, who's the next guy?” Dravid said, almost laughing, before acknowledging the role of the press.

He further opined that the fast-paced and capricious format might not always guarantee results. And that’s where the guarantee of a long rope comes in.

“T20 is such a high-risk format – in the sense, you're asking people to play a high-risk brand of cricket, you're asking them to play a positive brand of cricket. We've always had that belief that we need to give them that confidence and backing. And whoever we've picked here in the 15 – we only play 11 – but everyone has our backing and support. And they've been here because we know their quality. And we also understand, at times they might not be able to deliver for us. But it doesn't make them bad players,” he asserted.

But in a tournament of seven matches (maximum), it is a cause of concern if someone fails to deliver the goods for more than half the games. If India are to overcome their knockout jinx, they have to tick all possible boxes.

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