India head coach Rahul Dravid will need a specific plan to get the best out of superstars Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma in the T20 World Cup in the Americas next month, the great Brian Lara said on Tuesday. As many as eight players from the 2022 edition of the ICC event find a place in the squad with the team continuing to back the unmatched experience of Kohli and Rohit.
“Sometimes when you have a team with a lot of superstars, you forget the plan and you believe that the superstars can do it. They just have to turn up. Sometimes you may feel, as a coach, intimidated, telling Sir Vivian Richards or Virat Kohli, you know exactly what you expect of them,” Lara said in an interaction with PTI editors at its headquarters which was facilitated by Star Sports.
Asked about the composition of the India squad, Lara gave the example of the highly experienced West Indies squad for the ODI World Cup in 1987 when Sir Vivian Richards-led side could not reach the semifinals.
“First of all, in terms of the players that were selected in the squad, let me start by saying that that’s a dilemma that a lot of countries have faced in the past. The West Indies in 1988 (1987 actually) is one example,” he said.
“Obviously when you have such great players, you want to stick to that experience because you feel that they can do it and there’s nothing wrong with it,” he said referring to Kohli and Rohit.
Lara said given the big names that make the Indian squad, Dravid will have his hands full on the planning front.
“You’ve got a lot of exciting young players coming out and you also have that sort of conundrum. India have gone with a team that has experience. My advice, and it’s not my criticism, it’s my advice, to Rahul Dravid is to make sure and have a plan,” Lara stated.
While he also agreed that Rinku Singh‘s omission was pure hard luck, Lara firmly believed that the team under Rohit Sharma could go the distance in this edition.
“The team is capable of winning the World Cup. Yes, it’s a team that have maybe a couple of youngsters missing because of the situation. But I still believe that if they plan properly. India could win the World Cup,” Lara said.
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