Preparation for WTC Finals begins, Rahul Dravid will hold meeting with coaching members in NCA
New Delhi. Indian cricket’s top stars are busy with the Indian Premier League (IPL) but head coach Rahul Dravid and his team will gather at the National Cricket Academy (NCA) on Tuesday to prepare for the World Test Championship (WTC) final in June. The Indian team has confirmed its place in the WTC final for the second time in a row. Australia will face India in the final to be played at The Oval in London from June 7 to 11.
Injuries to stars like fast bowler Jasprit Bumrah, middle-order batsman Shreyas Iyer and wicketkeeper Rishabh Pant, who has been the hero of some of India’s memorable victories overseas, have added to the team’s woes. The team will have to find a replacement for these players before the WTC final. In view of the ODI World to be held later this year, attention will also have to be paid to the management of the workload of the players. “Dravid, along with batting coach Vikram Rathour, bowling coach Paras Mhambrey, fielding coach T Dileep and other support staff, will meet the NCA team headed by VVS Laxman, which will include national team members,” a source in the Board of Cricket in India (BCCI) said. Various related issues will be discussed.
As the NCA chief, Laxman is also responsible for monitoring the progress of ‘targeted’ players (India, India A) along with the rehabilitation of BCCI-contracted injured players. He also monitors the performance of budding players (between the ages of 19 and 23) as well. It is likely that both Dravid and Laxman will discuss plans with their respective teams in detail regarding workload management and preparation for the final. During this, the head of sports science in NCA, Nitin Patel, may have to face tough questions regarding repeated injuries to the players.
Iyer and Deepak Chahar have been repeatedly injured after being declared fit. Most of the IPL franchises have confirmed to PTI that they have not received any written communication from the BCCI regarding workload management of fast bowlers. The names of Mohammed Shami, Umesh Yadav, Mohammed Siraj, Shardul Thakur and Jaydev Unadkat are among the five bowlers who are almost sure to find a place in the team for the WTC final. All these bowlers are playing IPL. A former coach, who has been an assistant member of the Indian team, agreed that the fast bowlers could be a problem for the team. “If June 7 is the start of the WTC final, all Indian fast bowlers are required to bowl at least 200 balls (about 33 overs) per week. That way you get your legs used and build up strength.”
“But in the IPL, the main star bowlers hardly turn up for every training session. You will mostly see them resting a day before the game, because there is travel a day before that.” In England, the Indian team will have to contend with the lack of practice matches. Even if the players of the teams that are out of the IPL playoffs reach England before the other players, they will be able to play practice matches among themselves. Even if the BCCI convinces the England and Wales Cricket Board to conduct practice matches, it will not get quality players for this as the county season is on.
However, Ajinkya Rahane may return to the national team due to Iyer’s injury. Rahane has scored over 600 runs in the domestic season and the team could hardly find a better option in the middle order than the 82-Test veteran for English conditions. Kona Bharat has failed to impress with the bat and behind the wickets which could lead to Lokesh Rahul being given the wicketkeeping duties. In such a situation, he will bat in the middle order.
