IND vs SA 2022: "Unrealistic to expect us to keep playing the same XI over and over again" - Rahul Dravid

Team India head coach Rahul Dravid has addressed the criticisms directed towards team selection, saying it's not possible to field the best 11 in every game. Dravid also justified the fact that injuries have forced them to experiment.

Since the 2021 T20 World Cup, India have tried 29 players leading up to the squad announcement for the upcoming tournament marquee event in Australia.

The Men in Blue also tried 10 openers before announcing their official opening combination of KL Rahul and Rohit Sharma.

Speaking at a press conference ahead of the second T20I against South Africa on Sunday, October 2, Dravid said people will criticize India for any decision-making.

He recalled the previous T20I series against South Africa at home earlier in the year when India played the same 11 but fans wanted otherwise.

He said, as quoted by The Indian Express:

"I think it’s a little unrealistic to expect us to keep playing the same XI over and over again. Some of the changes or experiments that people like to call them are sometimes forced upon you. If Bumrah doesn’t play the last game, it’s not because we are experimenting. It’s because he gets injured."

The 49-year-old continued:

The five-match series against South Africa in June, we played exactly the same XI in all five matches. People were saying, ‘why don’t they change the XI? So I think we can’t win either way. Whatever we do, people are going to say that."

The Men in Blue faced widespread criticism following their wretched Asia Cup campaign for continuous experimentation instead of fielding a fixed 11. Rohit and Co. got eliminated from the Super 4 stage after defeats to Pakistan and Sri Lanka.

"You can’t pick the XI months in advance" - Rahul Dravid

Indian cricket team. (Credits: Getty)

Dravid claimed that a team can't settle on a playing XI 12 months before the World Cup since conditions and oppositions differ drastically. He explained:

"You can’t pick the eleven months in advance, you don’t know the wicket, you don’t know what it’s like. We have been very clear about the kind of skills that we want in the fifteen. For me that is very important."

"The squad that we pick for the T20 World Cup barring injuries, what were the kind of skills we were looking for. In a tournament like the World Cup, you play in five different venues or four different venues in the league."

India will look to seal the three-match T20I series against South Africa by winning the second game on Sunday. The Men in Blue won the first match by eight wickets.