Team India head coach Rahul Dravid has shared that, as of now, there are no changes to their 15-member squad that has been picked for the 2023 ODI World Cup. He also added that modifications in the squad, if any, will be shared officially as well. However, Team India are sweating over the fitness of all-rounder Axar Patel, who sustained a left quadriceps strain during the Asia Cup Super 4 match against Bangladesh. Later, he missed the final of the tournament as well as the three-match ODI series against Australia too as well. And, in his absence, veteran off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin was recalled and he did well in the first two matches.

At a post-match conference following India’s 66-run loss in the third ODI in Rajkot, Dravid said, “We’ll have to wait for an official confirmation on a decision on that. The NCA is in touch with the selectors, they are in touch with Ajit [Agarkar]. I wouldn’t want to make any comments on that. If there are any changes, they you guys will hear about it officially. As of now, there are no changes.”

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However, Axar Patel has been a key player of Team India’s white-ball squads recently. His batting in the lower-order has also been improved and helped India win in several occassions. Meanwhile, Rahul Dravid also admitted that conditions won’t be similar at all the venues in the World Cup as well.

“It’s a big country, India, and there are many venues. It’s hard to say that it’s going to be the same everywhere. I think each venue will be different, each day will be different. It’s really one of the hardest things to predict with the dew. I’ve played in games where we come to practice the day before the game and the ground is soaked. On the day of the game, sometimes there’s no dew – people say when the clouds come in, there’s less dew,” Rahul Dravid concluded. “I am actually not an expert and sometimes we get it wrong. But certainly, as the tournament goes on, in some venues it will be a factor and in some venues, it may not. It’s going to make it all the more interesting because it’s going to be hard to predict.”