India head coach Rahul Dravid on Friday (June 28) applauded the team's exceptional consistency in reaching three ICC finals within the past year. He also hoped that a blend of intelligent gameplay and good fortune would enable India to break the long-standing ICC trophy jinx.
The Rohit Sharma-led side has qualified to the T20 World Cup 2024 final without losing a single match in the competition. During the ODI World Cup at home last year, the Men in Blue were unbeaten until losing to Australia in the title clash.
On this occasion, India are set to face South Africa in the final at the Kensington Oval in Bridgetown, Barbados. They are keen to lift the ICC trophy, a feat they last achieved way back in 2013.
"It is a good thing we have been consistently playing good cricket. We have been in finals in all three formats and credit goes to the players. If we play well and rub of the green goes (our way) we will surely win," Dravid, as quoted by PTI, said.
The coach expressed confidence in the team's mental readiness for the all-important final.
"In terms of our preparation, we've just got one day in the middle, so it's unlikely we're going to be having practice.
"It's just about all the guys getting into ensuring that physically, mentally, tactically we are ready for the game."
In 2023, India were at the receiving end of two losses in ICC finals. They were defeated by Australia in both the World Test Championship (WTC) final and the 50-over World Cup final.
The question that arises is whether the Indian team has learned from those setbacks.
"No, nothing. I thought we were very well-prepared in Ahmedabad (ODI WC). We ticked all the boxes and, on that day, the other team played better. That's part of the sport.
"The other team that's coming there to play has also obviously reached the final because they're a good team and they're playing very good cricket as well. So, they have as much right to win it as we do, but we hope that we'll play better cricket on the day," Dravid said.
India managed to post 181/8 on the board in their Super 8 match against Afghanistan despite the challenging pitch conditions in Barbados.
The Indian team hoped to leverage their experience of playing in Barbados and adapt their approach accordingly when facing the South African side, according to Dravid.
"Yeah, I mean, just the fact that we've played a game in Barbados is nice. It's nice that we have that familiarity of having played on that surface in the past.
"But again, I think it's very hard to... We're not going to get exactly the same wicket that we got last time. I mean, it can be different, right?
Dravid praised the team's collective effort in preparing for this marquee event, highlighting their ability to adapt to different situations.
"I think what's really important is that we've done really well as a group. This whole tournament we have shown the ability to adapt, to recognize what is a good score. We played very differently in New York, then we played in St. Lucia, then we played even in Barbados when I thought that the game was quite slow.
"I'm just hoping that whatever we come up against, we will have the ability to recognize it and be able to play accordingly, as we've done in the last three games," said Dravid.
(With PTI Inputs)
