We don't prioritize formats, all three are critically important for us: Rahul Dravid

Team India’s newly-appointed head coach Rahul Dravid has asserted that the team will not prioritize any specific format. The former India cricketer is all set to start his tenure as the team’s head coach from the home series against the Black Caps. Thus, ahead of the highly-anticipated series, Dravid has opened up on the team’s preparations.

India will lock horns with New Zealand for three T20Is and two Test matches starting from November 17. This will be Dravid’s first assignment as a full-time head coach of India. Whereas Rohit Sharma will take up the responsibility of leading the side in the shortest format henceforth. Ahead of the first T20I against the Kiwis, Dravid said that all the three formats are equally important for the team and that they will strive hard to improve and get better.

“No, we do not prioritize formats at all. All three formats are critically important for us, there will be no let-up on how we prepare and plan for any of the three formats. We have three ICC events and we need to prepare for those events, as far as planning is concerned, for me, it is just about we want to improve constantly and we keep getting better as players, we should be fine,” Dravid said in a virtual press conference.

New Zealand is well led and they are well prepared: Rahul Dravid

The Kane Williamson-led side has had a splendid run in international cricket lately and has impressed the cricketing fraternity. New Zealand reached the finals of the 2019 ODI World Cup and then also won the inaugural World Test Championship earlier this year.

The team further exuded their class by making it to the finals of the T20 World Cup 2021. Dravid thus feels that the Kiwis are a strong side and it will be an opportunity for India to display their fiefdom and dominate the proceedings against them.

“New Zealand is well led and they are well prepared. They have beaten India in recent tournaments, this is a fact. But here lies a good opportunity for us to keep getting better and hopefully, we get an opportunity against them in a big tournament, we put one over them,” Dravid added.