Former India captain and head coach Rahul Dravid has said that his dream final at the ongoing T20 World Cup would be India against anybody, but added that he would love to see a lesser-fancied side reach the summit clash, to be held in Ahmedabad on March 8.
The 53-year-old said that it would be great for Zimbabwe cricket if they managed to reach the final. The Sikandar Raza-led side qualified for the Super 8 stage with Sri Lanka from Group B and will face the West Indies in their first Super 8 clash in Mumbai on Monday.
“I would take India versus anybody. India versus Zimbabwe? That would be great for Zimbabwe cricket. It would be amazing if Zimbabwe can make it. I would love to see one of the lesser teams, alongside India. That would be great,” Dravid told NDTV.
The former right-hander was effusive in his praise for the associate nations, admitting that it was great to see the kind of talent emerging from these countries.
“The defining thing for me of the World Cup so far is something that people have spoken about quite a lot, which has been the fact that a lot of the associate teams have played some fantastic cricket. It is just great to see the kind of talent that we are getting to see in a lot of associate nations. There’s been some really good performances from all across the board.”
“A lot of them might not have qualified for the Super 8s, which was always going to be very difficult in this kind of format, but even in that, they have really shown that they have some good young talent,” he added.
Speaking about India’s chances, Dravid said that the Suryakumar Yadav-led side was playing well and the experienced players needed to step up and deliver in crucial moments.
“They are doing really well. They have been playing some fantastic cricket in the last couple of years. As the tournament goes towards the Super 8s, and you get into the knockout, I think it obviously gets defined by a few critical moments. You need people to stand up, you need some of your more experienced players to step up and do the job when it is required, and we have got that”.
“I think the great advantage that India has is that we are not relying on 1-2 people. We have got great depth in the side. So you would expect that depth to come through. But of course, it is Twenty20 cricket; there is an unknown in Twenty20 cricket. It is the most volatile format of the game, and on any given day, as I have learnt as well as a coach, you can lose. Stick to the process and do what you can and hope for the best,” he added.
