India will make the top four in World T20: Rahul Dravid

Former Indian skipper Rahul Dravid has said that he is expecting the Indians to make it to the semifinals of the World T20. However, Dravid has also said that despite the amazing balance of the team, a lot will depend on which side clicks on the day. Having served as the coach of the U19 side during the recently concluded U19 World Cup, Dravid has experienced first-handed when it is not your day.

“I think India would make the top four, but after that, it’s just a question of who has a better day in the semifinal and final… There’s a good crop of players coming through. I think it’s going to be an exciting 24 months for the Indian team. I think the good thing about this Indian team and this T20 World Cup is they have good depth, they have good all round depth at the moment,” Dravid said.

Also read: 5 Indian Players to watch out for in World T20

“Players like Hardik Pandya and Pawan Negi, it just shows that they have got sort of batting right down to No. 8, 9.

They have got six or seven bowlers to call upon in Indian conditions that they can use.

“So I think it gives them sort of a good range of all around ability, and then with Ashish Nehra bowling well up front and Bumrah bowling well at the depth, they have actually got the two areas which India were struggling in covered. This is a pretty formidable side at the moment and I think the all around ability of this team is what excites me,” he added.

While the Indian team has been formidable in the subcontinent, Dravid said that the next target must be to compete in Test matches abroad.

“I think it is a very exciting time for Indian cricket at the moment. The results in sort of One-Day and Twenty20 cricket have been really good over the last couple of years or so and it has been reflected in the ranking, as well,” he said.

“Even in Test cricket, India finds itself up there in the rankings and largely because they have had great results in home conditions. The next challenge, really for this team, is to start performing and get results overseas. But things are beginning to turn with the win in Sri Lanka, and hopefully that you they can go beyond the subcontinent and produce those results.”

“Teams like Australia have got good depth again in the side. A lot of players have played in subcontinent conditions through the IPL, so they have that experience of playing in India. I think playing T20 cricket in India for a lot of the teams and players is not new to them. They have played on all of these grounds. They know the conditions very, very well.

“South Africa with the likes of AB de Villiers and Quinton de Kock, Hashim Amla, they are always going to be a dangerous team. The West Indies as well, match winners, power hitters, all the way through. And then the subcontinent teams, Pakistan and Sri Lanka will probably have the quality spinners, and if conditions do suit them they can be a handful as well,” he said.