NEW DELHI: India head coach Rahul Dravid emphasized the importance of adapting to varying surfaces ahead of their T20 World Cup final against South Africa at the Kensington Oval, Bridgetown in Barbados, leveraging their previous experience on this ground. India posted a challenging total of 181 runs against Afghanistan in their Super 8 opener on a difficult Barbados pitch.
Dravid pointed out the advantages of familiarity with the pitch in Barbados.
"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," Dravid was quoted as saying by PTI in the pre-match media briefing. However, he cautioned against expecting identical conditions, adding, "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?"
The team's adaptive skills have been a cornerstone of their strategy throughout the tournament. Dravid lauded their adaptability in various conditions and locations such as New York, St. Lucia, and Barbados.
"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," Dravid said.
"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," added Dravid.
India's proficiency in posting competitive totals on challenging pitches was evident when they scored 171 runs on a low-bounce surface in Guyana during the semifinal. This adaptability will be crucial as they face South Africa, a team that also broke their long-running semifinal jinx in the World Cup.
India's readiness to adapt to diverse challenges and their past performances have set the stage for what promises to be an exciting clash against South Africa in the upcoming match.
