World Cup: We need to earn the right to be there in Ahmedabad, says Rahul Dravid

Table toppers India take on an inform South Africa in a clash of titans at the historic Eden Gardens in Kolkata on Sunday. India head coach Rahul Dravid is not fretting over the absence of the sixth bowler saying the team has done well with five bowlers. Reports Meenakshi Rao

Kolkata: Head coach Rahul Dravid is all set to tackle the absence of the sixth bowler option due to all-rounder Hardik Pandya’s injury, a chink South Africa skipper Temba Bavuma said his batters would be keenly looking to exploit at Eden Garden in the marquee clash tomorrow.

However, never to be ruffled, Dravid said Bavuma was speaking facts and in the absence of Hardik Pandya India will have to do without a sixth bowler, something it has done to some good results not only in this tournament but also in the Australia series preceding the World Cup.

“The sixth option is something that Hardik (Pandya) gave us. But we have been playing the last four games without the sixth bowling option. We also played a couple of games in the Australia series before the World Cup without the sixth option.

"We won two of our games, both in Mohali and in Indore, when we played only with five bowling options in those games as well. So, we have responded really well to that challenge. Yes, of course, we probably won't have that sixth bowling option in these games. But the response of the team and the players has been really good when we have not had it. So, I think we have played enough games without having it. And we seem to have done pretty well,” he said.

In the absence of a sixth bowler, he batted for Virat Kohli and Surya Kumar Yadav turning an arm as Plan B. "We do have the option to call upon our wrong-footed, in-swinging menace [Virat Kohli]. With the crowd behind him, I'd back him for a couple of overs there in a few wickets. The crowd was demanding his bowling in the last game. We came very close to giving him an over. Then we've got Surya, who can turn his arm over a little bit. And then Rohit's (Sharma) bowled a bit as well,” Dravid said.

Talking about the perceived longer than usual India tail, Rahul Dravid said he was entirely unworried about it. “There's only been one game where we've felt the need for the No 8 and 9 against England in Lucknow. Our No 8 and 9 gave us 46 critical runs on a tricky wicket… There's enough quality in the top seven…,” he pointed out.

Speaking about the abilities of Surya Kumar Yadav and his transition from a T20 players to an ODI batter, Dravid said “It's good to see that in one-day cricket, he's realizing that at times you can give yourself a little bit more time to settle in. And you know how dangerous he can be at the death. He's played so much of domestic cricket and been around for 10 years. We're relying on his experience to be able to read a situation”.

Dravid suggested that Surya is a "really nice cushion", who needs to tailor his game to the requirement of the innings. "In situations like against England, when we had wickets down, then probably you need him to play a slightly different kind of role for a while and then look to go hard at the end. Just to be able to read that situation and play according to the situation is really important in one-day cricket. T20 cricket sometimes, you know, you just have to play in one way. One day, sometimes lower down the order, you need to be smart enough to read the game,” he said.

For any match under the lights at Eden Garden, dew has been a lethal factor to be talked about. But Dravid, who has given up on the dew factor as an eventuality one needs to deal with, said he just can't read it anymore and, frankly, it does not matter!

"I don't read dew, man. I've just given up on it. I can never predict it. Neither can the groundsmen. Half the time, they're telling me something, and then it's not. But in this tournament, the beauty is that it has shown that if you bat first and you put good scores on the board, dew hasn’t been a factor. You just need to be able to when faced with that situation,” he added.

With Hardik Pandya out and the tail talk gaining momentum, Rahul Dravid said it is crucial that the young guns Shubman Gill and Shreyas Iyer fire. “Gill is coming back. It was unfortunate that he picked up dengue and it's taken him time to get over that. You underestimate the impact something like that can have on you, and then having to come out and play in the heat and travel. And it's been quite hectic. It is nice for him to be able to grind out some really good runs for us in Bombay (Mumbai),” he said.

As for Shreyas Iyer, he said despite a listless run in preceding matches, he had the courage to come out in the last match and fire to add to the 300 plus score. "The courage and the skill to be able to execute that performance knowing that he hadn't got runs in the last 2-3 games, speaks volumes about him as a person and his temperament,” he added.

For now, the focus is on the "biggest" match coming up tomorrow, Dravid said, a match for which it will be all about our preparation, our planning and whether we can execute our skills.

"Everything that we are looking at, is telling us that in every department we have executed our skills really, really well. If we keep executing our skills, and if somebody outplays us and out beats us, then good luck. We shake their hand and walk away. But at the end of the day, focus has to be on us and not really worry about who we are coming up against,” he concluded.

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