BCCI secretary Jay Shah meets Rahul Dravid following India’s underwhelming performance against West Indies

It is being speculated that the plans for the upcoming ODI World Cup in October were discussed between the two

India’s preparation for the ODI World looked all over the place following a dismal performance in the ODI series against West Indies which India eventually won 2-1 but not after a few hiccups in the first two games of which India lost the second match and won the first one after putting in a lot of efforts. Chasing a score of less than 150 India lost five wickets as the fans were left bamboozled by an uncertain batting order in the entire ODI series as Axar Patel who was left out of the eleven in the first match was promoted to bat at number four in the next match and was only given a couple of overs with the ball. The situation was quite similar in the first two matches of the T20I series which India lost. Hower Axar bowled his entire quota of 4 overs inside the first ten overs in the third T20I and it seemed like he would be used in the powerplay in the matches to come but that wasn’t the case as he was used differently in the next two matches which left everyone confused. Interestingly Hardik Pandya was the captain in 7 of the 8 white ball games that India played against West Indies on the tour.

The Urgency

With Rohit back as captain for the Asia Cup and the World Cup things might get back to normal as Rahul Dravid pointed out that the team is trying different combinations before the two events. Amid growing concerns regarding India’s preparations for the marquee events, BCCI (Board of Control for Cricket in India) Secretary Jay Shah met with the Indian head coach Rahul Dravid in Miami. The meeting took place after the third T20I against West Indies on Tuesday, August 8 as India trailed by 1-2 in the five-match series.

The Meeting

According to reports, the meeting lasted nearly two hours and was held at the hotel where Shah stayed. While the details of the matters of discussion between the duo remain unknown, speculations are that the roadmap to the World Cup 2023 was discussed. The BCCI secretary has expressed his strong desire to win the World Cup scheduled to take place in India from October 5. The squad for the Asia Cup is expected to be announced on August 20 couple of days after the first T20I between Ireland and India which will also mark the return of Jasprit Bumrah in international cricket.