NEW DELHI:
Brian Lara
emphasized on Tuesday that India's head coach
Rahul Dravid
will need a tailored strategy to optimize the performance of superstars
Virat Kohli
and
Rohit Sharma
during the T20 World Cup in the Americas next month.
The squad includes eight players from the 2022 ICC event, reflecting the team's confidence in the unparalleled experience of Kohli and Rohit.
"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 told PTI.
When discussing the composition of the India squad, Lara cited the example of the highly experienced West Indies team during the 1987 ODI World Cup. Despite being led by Sir Vivian Richards, a legendary figure in cricket, the West Indies squad ultimately failed to reach the semifinals of the tournament.
"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," he said.
"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," he said referring to Kohli and Rohit.
Lara said given the big names that make the Indian squad, Dravid will have his hands full on the planning front.
"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, it's my advice to Rahul Dravid is to make sure and have a plan," Lara stated.
While he also agreed that
Rinku Singh
's omission was pure hard luck, Lara firmly believed that the team under Rohit Sharma could go the distance in this edition.
"The team is capable of winning the World Cup. Yes, it's a team that have maybe a couple of youngsters missing because of the situation. But I still believe that if they plan properly. India could win the World Cup," Lara said.
(With PTI inputs)
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