After India defeated Afghanistan 3-0 in the series, head coach Rahul Dravid was happy with his team’s performance since it gave them other alternatives for the T20 World Cup in June. Following last year’s ODI World Cup, India played eleven Twenty20 matches.
Rahul Dravid spoke to the media during his post-match press-conference. He said that, “We’ve had different people play after the last ODI World Cup for a variety of reasons. But I think it’s just nice to see that there are some options (ahead of the World Cup) who have put their hand up, and certainly shown that they’ve got skills to address.”
Dravid’s major worry was not having enough team time before the mega tournament. Before the World Cup, India’s final Twenty20 encounter was the three-match series versus Afghanistan.
He added, “Unfortunately, we really won’t have much cricket as a team anymore. We will obviously have the IPL, and you know, everyone will be watching closely to see how some of those guys play and what are the slots we need to fill in the team.”
“He’s certainly very much an improved player” : Rahul Dravid on Shivam Dube
Due to his 124 runs as well as two wickets versus Afghanistan, Shivam Dube was named player of the series. Having an all-rounder to choose from for the next World Cup thrilled Dravid. Rahul Dravid said, “He’s come back after a long time. He’s certainly very much an improved player after coming back. There’s no doubt that he always had the talent, but just really happy to see the way he performed in the series.”
The Team India head coach added, “I’m sure it will give him a lot of confidence as well, you come back in and play a series and you become the man of the series. It’s great and has certainly put his hand up. He’s going to have that opportunity to show it in the IPL again, like he did last year.”
