The ODI World Cup will be quite competitive, but we are optimistic: Rahul Dravid

Rahul Dravid, the head coach of India, feels optimistic about his team’s chances of winning the 2018 ODI World Cup. Notably, India’s campaign will begin on October 8 against Australia and continue on October 11 against Afghanistan before playing home to archrival Pakistan on October 15 in Ahmedabad. They will compete in nine league games and want to place in the top four in order to advance to the competition’s semifinals.

In the meanwhile, Dravid anticipates a very competitive event, therefore he anticipates a tight race to the semifinals. The 50-year-old continued by saying that he anticipates a close match because players from other clubs are also acclimated to the Indian conditions as a result of the Indian Premier League. The former cricketer is still optimistic about India’s chances in the competition, though.

“There are some really good teams in this tournament, but I think the whole home advantage thing, especially in the sub-continent, has diminished to a large extent over the last 10 to 12 years because, you know, so many people come and play here, especially in tournaments like the IPL, where people come for two months and have been getting used to these conditions.

“Therefore, it’s going to be a tight tournament that’s incredibly close. We are quite excited and confident. I’m pretty excited about it as a coach, too,” Rahul Dravid was quoted as saying by CRICKETMOOD.

As a coach, I’m not about leaving a legacy: Rahul Dravid

Rahul Dravid has never held the World Cup despite being regarded as one of the game’s great. The former cricketer made it clear that he is not interested in leaving a coaching legacy, even if he succeeds this time around. He continued by saying that the competition will be thrilling and that both the players and the spectators should have a good time.

Oh, I’m not interested in coaching legacies or anything of the sort. Playing in a World Cup at home is fun. I have to add that everyone will find it to be really exciting. There will be some pressure attached to it, and that pressure is quite welcome. We are hoping for an extremely successful competition. We are getting ready quite well, in my opinion. With some of the players returning from injuries at the ideal time, everything is potentially coming together nicely, Dravid continued.