Rahul Dravid cautioned by Brian Lara ahead of T20 World Cup: 'As coach, you may feel intimated telling Virat Kohli…'

West Indies great Brian Lara has a word of caution for coach Rahul Dravid as he gears up to lead India to a third World Cup. The legendary former West Indies batter and captain has urged Dravid to have proper plans in place for players, especially the superstars in the team such as Virat Kohli and captain Rohit Sharma and convey the same to them to get the maximum out of the players. Brian Lara wants Rahul Dravid to chalk out plans for Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma and the other superstars of the Indian cricket team playing the T20 World Cup(PTI-Getty)

Last week, the BCCI selection panel revealed India's squad of 15 for the T20 World Cup taking place in the USA and West Indies from June 2 to 29, out of which eight are the same that played the last T20 World Cup in 2022. In fact, in a stunning trivia, barring KL Rahul, India's top five for this World Cup is pretty much the same as the last two T20 World Cups in the UAE and Australia, with Yashasvi Jaiswal being the only addition. With this being Rohit's ninth T20 World Cup and Kohli's sixth, the two stalwarts may have secured a berth in India's squad, but the pressure is on them to get the job done, and for that, Lara insists Dravid chalks out decisive planning for both and then some.

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"Sometimes, when you have a team with a lot of superstars, you forget the plan and you believe that the superstars can do it. They just have to turn up. Sometimes you may feel, as a coach, intimidated, telling Sir Vivian Richards or Virat Kohli, you know exactly what you expect of them," Lara said in an interaction with PTI, facilitated by Star Sports.

Lara's advice stems from the West Indies encountering a similar situation at the 1987 World Cup. Winners in 1975 and 1979 and runner-up in 1983, the mighty Windies headed to India and Pakistan for the fourth Cricket World Cup only to face disappointment. Under the captaincy of Viv Richards, West Indies were knocked out from the group stage itself, with a major part of their squad composition featuring players from the previous editions.

Dravid will have his hands full with this Indian squad, adds Lara

India's squad is a tad different. While it brags the presence of stalwarts Kohli and Rohit, match-winners such as Suryakumar Yadav and Jasprit Bumrah, along with the availability of the young Yashasvi Jaiswal and the dynamic Shivam Dube, there is plenty of versatility in the bunch travelling for the T20 World Cup. However, India's key would be to strike the right balance, and that is where Dravid's role becomes all the more crucial.

"First of all, in terms of the players that were selected in the squad, let me start by saying that that's a dilemma that a lot of countries have faced in the past. The West Indies in 1988 (1987 actually) is one example. Obviously, when you have such great players, you want to stick to that experience because you feel that they can do it, and there's nothing wrong with it," Lara said, referring to Kohli and Rohit.

"You've got a lot of exciting young players coming out, and you also have that sort of conundrum. India have gone with a team that has experience. My advice, and it's not my criticism, to Rahul Dravid is to make sure and have a plan."

Like many, Lara remained skeptical of Rinku Singh's omission from the squad. The left-handed KKR batter was hard done missing out on a flight, although he will be travelling with the team as one of the four reserve players. But irrespective of it, Lara reckons India have assembled a bloody good squad capable of ending their 11-year-lond ICC trophy jinx.

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