“We have almost narrowed it down to 17-18 players” - Rahul Dravid on Team India’s World Cup squad

Team India head coach Rahul Dravid has stated that the think tank has narrowed down to 17-18 players, keeping the upcoming ODI World Cup in mind. He admitted that some of the injured players could come back into the mix depending on the time frame of their recoveries.

The Men in Blue will take on Australia in Chennai on Wednesday, March 22, in the third ODI of the three-match series. Following that, the players will feature in the Indian Premier League (IPL), which will be held from March 31 to May 28.

The 2023 ODI World Cup is set to be played in India in October-November. With India having failed to win an ICC event since 2013, their preparations are under the scanner again. At a press conference on Tuesday, March 21, Dravid, however, asserted:

"I think, to a large extent, we are pretty clear about the squad and players we want. We have almost sort of narrowed it down to 17-18 players. We have a few guys who are sort of recovering from injuries and might come into the mix, depending on the timeframe of their recoveries and how long it takes for them to come back.

"But all in all, we are pretty much in a good space, we are pretty clear about the kind of team we want to play." Dravid added, "Hopefully, we are able to give these guys who we have zeroed in as many playing opportunities as we can. If in India, great, but even if not in India, it's just [a matter of ensuring that] they get as many opportunities as you can [give them] to build a side."

According to a report in ESPNcricinfo, the 2023 ODI World Cup is likely to start on October 5, with the final on November 19.

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“There are a couple of different combinations that we'd like to try” - Dravid

Elaborating on India’s World Cup plans, Dravid said that the team management is very much willing to try out different combinations.

He stated that the end goal is to have all the bases covered so that they are not in for a surprise during the ICC event. Dravid commented:

"Within our 15 or 16 players, there are a couple of different combinations that we'd like to try and see which one's working. It [World Cup] is a big tournament, it's a long tournament in India, and we are playing in nine different cities and nine different conditions.

“You just want to have that flexibility in your squad as well, to be able to play sometimes four fast bowlers, sometimes three spinners. Just you want to have that flexibility. Within the squad we'd like to sort of look at different options, just to ensure that we have covered all our bases for all conditions.”

Meanwhile, with the three-match ODI series level at 1-1, India will meet Australia in the decider at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai on Wednesday.