IND vs PAK 2022: “Big preparation for us in terms of the World Cup” - Rahul Dravid on significance of Asia Cup 2022 despite absence of key players 

Team India head coach Rahul Dravid has asserted that injuries to key players haven’t stopped them from using the Asia Cup 2022 as an opportunity to build their team for the T20 World Cup in Australia later this year.

The Men in Blue are without the services of pacers Jasprit Bumrah and Harshal Patel, who are recuperating from injuries. On Friday, September 2, all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja was also ruled out of the tournament due to a knee injury.

India will begin their Super 4 campaign in the Asia Cup by taking on arch-rivals Pakistan in Dubai on Sunday, September 4. Speaking ahead of the match, Dravid stated that Team India will continue to work towards building their squad for the upcoming T20 World Cup. He said:

“Obviously, it’s (Asia Cup 2022) a big preparation for us in terms of the World Cup and a very important tournament. Yes, there are a few key players who are missing. That can happen. It doesn’t stop us from preparing or using this tournament as a really good opportunity to build and grow our team for the World Cup."

The former Indian captain added that the absence of some big names gives them an opportunity to look at other players who are potentially vying for spots or are in contention. He elaborated:

“It gives other people some opportunities as well. Hopefully, once guys like Bumrah, Harshal and Jadeja, if they are back, then we can react to that. For some reason if, unfortunately, they have to miss out, we’ve tried to build a backup.”

According to reports, Jadeja is likely to be unavailable for the World Cup as well. Dravid, though, refused to confirm the same, stating that it is too early to “jump to any conclusions”.

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“We’ve come here looking to play our best possible squad” - Rahul Dravid

Team India will be playing three Super 4 matches within a week, starting with their game against Pakistan on Sunday. Asked if the think tank will look to manage the workload of their players, Dravid replied:

“We are not using this tournament for workload management. Unless there’s an injury, we’ve come here looking to play our best possible squad. Next four games as well (four if India reach the final), depending on who’s available, we will be looking to play our best side. Leading into the World Cup, we want to play our best squad as and when possible.”

After the match against Pakistan, India will take on Sri Lanka on September 6 and Afghanistan on September 8.