Rahul Dravid and Ryan Cook Pre-Match Press Conference: India vs Netherlands in ICC Cricket World Cup

Pre-match press conference highlights featuring India's Coach Rahul Dravid and Netherlands' Coach Ryan Cook ahead of the anticipated clash in the ICC Cricket World Cup: India vs Netherlands.

India Coach Rahul Dravid 

Netherlands Coach Ryan Cook

Transcript to follow

India Coach Rahul Dravid pre-match press conference transcript

[Reporter:] So that we go well prepared into the semi’s.

[Rahul Dravid:] I think just taking the box off, I think what we've been doing really well, which is I think we've maintained some really high standards. In terms of our execution, our intensity and I think it's just continuing on that. On that journey so. I think when we when we started off and I think I answered this question, I think it was your question only in Chennai, that we'd be playing in nine cities and nine venues. And I think we've travelled the length and breadth of this country and played in eight venues. And this is our ninth venue. And I think what this team has done really well is it has really represented India fantastically. It's played a really good brand of cricket. And we've done that in eight venues. And this is a really great venue. Even if I say so. I certainly think it is. As do a lot of other people. To be honest, there in our team it's a truly for passionate crowd and a great venue to play cricket in. And we would like to do the same. We know we have nine boxes to tick, and we've ticked eight. And we would certainly like to put on another really good display, do our best. It's all we can ask for and hope for from the boys. And hopefully, if we do our best, then the results will look after themselves.

[Reporter:] A team like Netherlands, which has impressed everybody, how do you see them? Especially when you take on the mindset and all those things come into play.

[Rahul Dravid:] Yeah, very impressive. I think we're very impressed with the way they have played in this tournament. The effort that they've gone through to be able to qualify. I have some, I wouldn't say first-hand experience, but I certainly know how difficult it is for associate teams to be able to reach this level and play. Having spent some time in Scotland myself in the early part of the - in early 2000, spent some time there and I know things have improved for the Associates since then. Certainly, over the last 20 years, the ICC has done a very good job of trying to improve their standards and try to give their players the same amount of opportunities. Of course, it's never going to be the same. The kind of professional setups now of some of the more established teams. But certainly, I think the performances of teams like Netherlands certainly go a long way in boosting the morale of the lot of the other associate nations that they can certainly compete that they've got some very good players. And it's quite inspiring to see that in spite of the challenges that they do face that they're able to compete at this level to play at this level.

So yeah, it's been great to see the way they've performed. I know they'll be well prepared, well coached cricket team. And we're looking forward to playing.

[Reporter:] You're playing such a pressure-filled tournament at home. So, Rohit, has always been cool, calm, composed on the field. And now, you've been together for a long time. How do you see his captaincy?

[Rahul Dravid:] Rohit has certainly been a leader, you know, without a doubt. I think he's led by example both on and off the field. Some of the starts that he's given us, the way he's cracked open games for us. A lot of times people have looked at one, I mean, I can't go into the specific games, I'm sure that you will be able to look into it, but there have been some games where it could have been tricky for us, but the fact that he's been able to get us to those kinds of starts has literally cracked open the game. So, in the end, it's actually looked easy, but on reflection as a coaching staff, when we looked at it, we've realized the impact that meetings like that of his innings have had on games like that, that have made it look easy for us and certainly made it easier for the guys who followed in that department.

So, I think he's been fantastic, which is his batting, the leadership that he's shown and taking on the game, in leading from the front. We've talked about playing in a particular way. You cannot do that unless your leader really buys in and actually shows by example. And it's been terrific to see the way Rohit's done that. And I think his captaincy has obviously been fantastic as well. It's been very good for a long time. He's someone who's certainly got the respect of the group and the team. Certainly, got the respect of our coaching staff. And it's been a pleasure to see him operate the way he has, both on and off the field, like I said. And I think he's truly someone who's, you know, deserves all the success that he's been getting. And hopefully it may continue.

[Reporter:] Rahul, this is the last league game and India is assured of a top finish. Is there a possibility of giving a chance to the guys who haven't played much in the tournament? Or do you want to maintain the same 11 and take on the intensity to the semi-final?

[Rahul Dravid:] I mean, honestly, we've had six days off from the last game. So, we're pretty well rested and the guys are in good shape. That's all I'll say without giving away the level. So, we've had six days off, we've got one game before the semi-final. Boys are rested. So that's all I'll say.

[Reporter:] The bowlers have enjoyed bowling under the lights. Like going into the semi-final, would you prefer having them bowl first over here and just to get accost to the conditions of the Wankhede?

[Rahul Dravid:] We've done both things. To be honest with you, we bowled first. We batted first in this tournament. I think that's been the really good thing for us in eight games. I think in the first four or five, I think we batted first and then we had to chase in the last three. So, we've actually done both things and we're pretty comfortable with both things. So, I'm not too worried about it. We'll have a look at the wicket and see what we need to do and decide what we want to do. So, there are advantages and disadvantages of both things. I mean, there are arguments both ways of, you know, batting first and putting up a score and hopefully setting the tone that way. And there's also an argument of chasing as well, which means that you probably have to bowl in the sun and stuff. But look, again, the toss is not in our hands, it’s not going to be in our hands in the semi-finals. And I think we are comfortable both ways. We will just make it. We will have a look at the wicket today and come tomorrow and have a look at the wicket as well. And then, you know, whatever call Rohit makes, we will go with it.

[Reporter:] You said you can make your own inferences. But I am just saying, how do you balance somebody like Prasit who has just come into the side, hasn't had a lot of cricket in the recent past. So, how do you balance that between sticking to the guys who have rested and who have done the job for you so far and keeping him ready in case the need might arise at some stage?

[Rahul Dravid:] To be honest with you, you're at a pointy end in a tournament now. So now at this stage it's about just focusing on getting the guys who you think are going to be playing in the 11 in the best possible space mentally and physically to be able to play that semifinal and hopefully the final if we if we earn it. So that will be the single pointed thinking it's not about there are times there are times for larger picture thinking and there are times for narrow focus thinking in my opinion and now's the time for sure narrow focus thinking if everyone is fit.

[Reporter:] Just a question on the middle order. They have done well this World Cup. Two, three games we saw where they stepped out well. So, a word on the middle order.

[Rahul Dravid:] Yeah, it's terrific. I mean, I think again, I answered this question if I remember in Chennai. And I said that, middle orders in one-day cricket, somebody asked me about and I said middle orders are going to be very, very important in a tournament like this. You know, they're going to, how well your middle order performs in sometimes very tricky conditions and challenging situations under pressure, is actually going to probably decide how well you do. While our top orders also performed exceptionally well. I think our middle orders played very critical roles. Sometimes you can't judge them by sheer numbers. It's obvious that when you look at a leaderboard of scores and runs, it'll always be someone in the top three. I mean, it's pretty obvious. You look at that whole board and It's all filled with guys from any country who are in the top three. So that only gives you one half of the picture, but it's actually some of those 30s, 40s, critical knocks. I can look back on this whole campaign and look at the contributions of our middle order and they'll come only in sort of spurts, or one knock here, or two knocks there, and somebody done something there, or a Shreyas, or a KL, or a Surya's knock here, and Jaddu's important knock in Dharamshala. And you can look at a lot of these small, small things, and actually that's what really gives you those ticks, or gives you those wins at the end of the day. So, it's a combination of things. And touchwood, our mid-lord has been truly exceptional in this tournament.

[Reporter:] You mentioned Shreyas just now. And you know, there's a lot spoken about him externally, of course. I'm sure not within the team. After those couple of dismissals, playing the pull-shot and stuff. But then he has come back and he has played two fantastic knocks since then. What does he bring to the table that makes him such a special player at that no. 4 spot?

[Rahul Dravid:] He brings temperament. I think one of the things Shreyas has shown us is right from the time that I have seen him as sort of an India A, he came and played India A when I was coaching those days. And I think one of the things that's really stood out about me is his temperament, the way he handles success, failure. You just look at even some of his knocks under pressure, how he's able to actually bring the best out of himself under those pressure situations. So, it's about, you can go on about, everyone will have areas that they need to work on and need to improve, it's not - someone might have some other area, there's no complete batsman who can say that I can, I know everything or I'm very good at everything? I mean, it's, you know, you always going to need areas to improve. But in the end of the day, you have to be judged by the results you produce. And the runs you score and when you score them. And I think Shreyas, one of the things that does stand out. Look at some of his test innings, look at how he started his test debut. Look at some of the critical knocks he's played for us. Even in the two years that I've been here, I mean, Bangladesh, you know that game, under extreme pressure, who's the guy who stands up? Ash and Shreyas, guys like that who incredible temperament, incredible strength of mind, and I think that's, that’s what has held him in really good stead. He's terrific temperamentally. So, when someone like him does well, you know he's going to make big contributions. It may not always work out, but when it does, you know someone like him is going to make a big play.

[Reporter:] You mentioned associate cricket a little earlier. Do you think more can be done outside of ICC events in terms of giving them opportunities, perhaps through the A team or some similar programs?

[Rahul Dravid:] Yeah, I mean, I wouldn't go know the exact details of how to go about it in a press conference like this, but certainly you know, I think. And I think it's really good. I mean, it's heartening to see. I think the next 2020 World Cup had 20 teams participating in it. Cricket is in the Olympics as well in 2028, So crickets in the Olympics as well. So, I think these are really good signs that show that, we're trying to embrace more teams into it. It's complex, it's not easy. I mean, there are only 365 days in the year, there's so much of cricket being played. It's becoming harder even for, I mean, I know how tough our schedules are and it's very hard for normal, the more established teams or the more, the sort of the non-associate teams itself to be able to fit in time and calendar to play each other. You know, to find that balance. Yeah. But, you know, like you said, maybe the route is to go down 18 cricket. And then these specific tournaments like this, their qualifiers, their tournaments, like having 20 people in a T20 World Cup, Olympics. So, I think it's growing, and it's good to see that it's going in the right direction, I think.

[Reporter:] A word about the 4 to 5 injured players. They were injured two to three months before the World Cup. They have managed to hit the ground running and also a word on the NCA itself and how they have managed this quick turnaround.

[Rahul Dravid:] Yeah so, I think that's been a really good thing for us. Obviously, a lot of thought and planning has gone into it. Yeah, I think you need, so there's a combination of things. And these things, you need a little bit of luck as well. You know, you need a bit of luck to go your way. Unfortunately, we've had, I think it's been great for us to have those guys back fit and ready for this tournament, you know, just in time for this tournament. Our margins were tight, our lines were tight. You know, we knew that some of them would be coming in just at the Asia Cup and prior to this tournament. So, we had to make some contingency plans. We looked at other stuff. But the fact that they were able to come in into this tournament is a tribute and to their own efforts and hard work, the efforts of the NCA, the physios, the trainers at the NCA for ensuring that, we stuck to those timelines and managed to hit those timelines as soon as we could. And a little bit of luck as well. You know, you need a little bit of luck in these things. Sometimes they go this way. Sometimes they go that way, knowing that three weeks here, four weeks here, and you can lose a player. So, it's a combination of all of those things. But, yeah, I think when you're playing big tournaments like this, you want your best players playing. Unfortunately, at the T20 World Cup, we probably didn't have a little bit of that luck, especially when you lose players like Bumrah and Jaddu. At the World Test Championship, we missed a couple of guys. Even here, to be honest, we have missed a couple of guys, one before the tournament and one during the tournament. But we've been able to respond really well so far. And I think that's been, again, something I'm very proud of.

We had a balance. We knew what a balance is. We've structured the whole thing around certain things. But when that hasn't happened, we've had the ability, the skill, and the mental fortitude to be able to bounce back and to be able to still compete and do really well.

So yeah, I think credit to the guys, credit to, like I said, I think even the NCA for all the work that they do. A lot of the stuff is behind the scenes. People don't get to see it. People don't see it. And there's a, it's not easy. Some of these things to get people right in professional sport. Sometimes people think, oh, it's easy to get injured players playing. Again, it's not that simple. You know, it's easy to get people playing when you have an injury in normal life and getting back on the park and getting back to normal office work is easy, but getting back to people to professional sport is not easy. So well done to everyone so far.

[Reporter:] There's just a two-day gap after tomorrow's match before the semi-final. In terms of the mindset, is a shift required in terms of when a team is playing a knockout game? Does that require a mindset shift? And if yes, how do the players approach that?

[Rahul Dravid:] Not really. I mean, I think we just want to focus one game at a time. You still have to play good cricket, whether you're playing in a league game, as we've done, or whether you've got to play a semi-final. I mean, you've just got certain skills you've got to execute, and execute really well and execute better than the opposition.

You just got to focus on that, focus on what you can control, which is your skills, your ability. Prepare yourself both mentally, physically as best as you can for the game. And then and then just play that game and try and do the best in that particular game.

[Reporter:] Recently we have seen a few incidents which has again created a lot of debate, especially on the other side of the ground. Playing with the spirit of cricket and maintaining the rule of cricket. So, there is a lot of debate on this. So, just wanted to know your view or the views of the players, those who perform on the field. How they take on a situation like this? Especially, you have been, during your playing career, you have been a part of a situation where MS Dhoni you recalled Ian Bell. So, under these circumstances, how do players think?

[Rahul Dravid:] So, I think like you just said yourself, everyone thinks differently. We are all unique creatures and we have our own minds and our own thoughts. And the players will be the same. Each one of us will think differently about a particular situation. And there is no real right and wrong. You can go and debate both the situations. You can debate whether we have to stick to the rules as they are. Or you have to sometimes give a little leeway for a little bit of spirit of cricket. And there'll be people on both sides of the camp. And I think just understanding that it's okay to have those differences is fine. It's fine to have those differences and some people might agree or not agree with certain decisions that were taken. Others will say no it's in the rules so I'm allowed to do it and that's the way it is you know you can't - when someone wants to take the letter of the rule law to the last nth degree, I don't think you can complain about it because honestly, he's just following the rules as he sees it.

Yeah, I mean, you might not do it yourself. I mean, you know, we might not do it, but you can't blame somebody for following it because you put that in place and you have to give scope for that level of understanding of somebody. Whether you choose to do it or not is completely your decision.

Netherlands Coach Ryan Cook pre-match press conference transcript

[Reporter:] Indian coach Dravid had talked about and praised your team, especially the performance. So, what do you feel on taking India tomorrow? What are you planning to gain from this match?

[Ryan Cook:] Obviously, we praise straight back at him and his team. I think they've played some incredible cricket over the tournament, obviously won all their matches, and played some dominating cricket as well. Top of the table for a reason. You can see it. They've got a high quality of players. They look very well organised and obviously favourites for the tournament going forward. So, obviously, praise back to him rather than praise to us really.

But no, we obviously looking forward to the game tomorrow. It'll be a great occasion on Diwali at the Chinnaswamy. Obviously, lots of excitement around that for our team. And yeah, really looking forward to testing our skills up against the table toppers.

[Reporter:] You had spoken about wanting to make it to the semi-finals as the aim of the team. That unfortunately wouldn't be happening. The other aspect you had mentioned was about making an impact so that the other teams can see how good Netherlands Cricket is.

How do you assess the team's performance so far and do you think you all have been able to make that mark that you wanted to?

And secondly, since you all don't get to train a lot often together, have you all been able to make use of the training facilities available here and the team together? Apart from the customary pre-match training.

[Ryan Cook:] I think to answer the second question first, we pride ourselves on our training. Often our optional training sessions become 14 or 15 men strong. So, we've obviously used the facilities as well as we can. We've trained really hard for pretty much everyone in the squad. It's their first time to India and to obviously get used to these conditions and play in these conditions is a real privilege for us and something that we don't take for granted and we're very grateful for.

The guys have improved a lot in terms of all their different habits that they have in their training and refining our processes and the tournament has been very good for us in that regard.

To go back to the first question around other teams looking forward to try and play us. I have actually had a few teams' coaches approach me and ask about our schedule and how potentially they could fit into their schedule, so that bodes well. But I know the international schedules are quite full.

But again, we would obviously love to play as many teams as possible. We've shown that we can compete for long periods of the game, and obviously by playing games against these teams, we're going to be able to compete better for longer.

It goes without saying that the guys have put in some really good performances both individually and as a team, both batting and bowling and fielding. So, I think everyone has gone in a respect for the way that we've played our cricket and the style in which we've gone about it. And that's been really pleasing to see from a coaching perspective.

[Reporter:] Just to add to that, if you could talk about some of the specific lessons that Netherlands have learned from playing at this level.

Also, the ODI Super League which has been scrapped, how big a blow is that? Because over the last couple of years, you've actually had a few bilateral series against some of the top teams at least. So not having that, does it make the road more uncertain like the road ahead in terms of -

[Ryan Cook:] Yeah, I think the Super League was really influential for the players and they often refer back to those as reference points that they've had playing in different countries, playing against some of the top teams in the world. And I think it's probably one of the reasons why we sit in the position that we're in today to be competing at the World Cup.

The guys get about playing better opposition and obviously the more of those opposition we can play will be handy for us. I think we had a situation where after the qualifiers we had no cricket against any - we just had Karnataka that we played against. And probably in hindsight probably missed a couple of fixtures to refine our skills and get ourselves going in terms of quality fixtures that we had. And those two games were really good, but probably not quite enough for preparation for a World Cup like this. And that was no fault of our own. We tried our best to try and get as many fixtures as we could. But obviously, as we said, the schedules are quite packed.

So, yeah, the Super League is obviously a blow for us, but again, nothing stopping a bilateral series happening between two countries in ODI cricket or in T20 cricket as we move towards the T20 World Cup as well. They will be up against the good teams again and obviously we'll be trying to prepare as well as we can for that tournament.

So that's been really important.

Regarding the lessons that we've had along the way, I think the main lesson that we've learned is that our team needs to be better for longer, whether that's with the bat or with the ball. I think we've shown glimpses of great periods of play. Some of those periods have been 20, 30, 40 overs long, but an ODI is 100 overs long and you have to play cricket for a long period of time and you have to play it really well.

So, I think the batters are learning that, that they need to be really good at their craft for long periods of time against skilful bowlers. And obviously from a bowling perspective, the same thing.

In the field, I think the guys have stuck with it really well. I think we've shown ourselves as to be one of the best fielding teams in this competition. And they put a lot of pride into that. And we put a lot of time and effort into that because it is one area that we can compete in. And you'll see it every training session that we have. We always do fielding and the guys are always improving that aspect of the game.

[Reporter:] You are coming to India well in earlier for this World Cup and a lot of preparation gone in, especially after playing a wonderful qualifiers, beating a team like West Indies and coming here. Your team has shown a lot of effort and a lot of hard work and also played very well in one couple of games.

So, the overall assessment of the entire squad, how all the boys have put in an equal amount of effort and how do you see the Netherlands cricket moving ahead in the years to come?

[Ryan Cook:] I've been very proud personally of the effort that all the guys have put in. We hit this last game, last on the leg, but you would never know that by being in and around the team - you'd never sort of see a dull moment, the connection between the group, the cohesion, the unity that we stand for is probably even stronger than it's ever been.

So, I think that goes to show the kind of culture that we have and how we are learning and how it isn't so much about the results as it is about the progression at this stage of our development as a team.

Yeah, I mean, obviously, would we have wanted to sort of be in those semi-final spaces come tomorrow? Yes, I'm sure we would have. But I think the guys take valuable lessons away and the relationships that we've been able to develop have been really strong. I think we've also learned a lot of lessons around how we should prepare for these types of conditions. We came out to Bangalore [Bengaluru] twice, which was a great experience for us. And that was sort of mind and eye-opening experience for everyone. And yeah, if we'd had a few more games in the subcontinent, I think probably we would have come in a little bit better prepared. But nonetheless, we had what we had and the guys, as you say, have been putting in the full effort that they can every game that they play, every training session that they come to. So very proud as a coach in that regard.

[Reporter:] Dutch athletes frequently win a lot of medals at the Olympics. With cricket now being part of the Olympic movement, will it change how money and funding works in cricket in the Netherlands?

And if yes, has there already been any conversations with regard to cricket in the Netherlands with the Olympics, with cricket coming to the Olympics?

[Ryan Cook:] I have absolutely no idea to any of that. I think we've been so focused on what we've been doing here, going game to game. There's been quick turnaround, lots of travel, practice. We said at the start of the tournament, we'll be on the edges of our capability pretty much throughout the whole tournament and we have been. The preparation we put in and the amount of detail that we've gone into for each game and trying to prepare for each opposition has been something that's been quite overwhelming at times actually for all the support staff, the captain included, and obviously the players who are preparing for those games. So, I don't think we've actually thought that far ahead. I'm sure those conversations will happen once we get back home in the next couple of days.

[Reporter:] How do you think this campaign will impact the popularity or the growth of cricket back home, where obviously cricket is not your number one sport. So, what do you think this will do for the profile of the sport in the country?

[Ryan Cook:] We hope that it does a lot. I think it's the first time that it's been streamed on TV for quite some time. It's reaching a greater audience now and a lot more people are talking about it within the Netherlands. And lots of people are sending pictures and messages about having watch parties, which maybe only contain 50 or 60 people in comparison to the IPL fan box that I see here in April and May which are which are packed but that's as big as it gets - there it's a big thing so yeah I think it hopefully will grow the popularity of the game provide aspiration for young players who want to come through the game and into the system, create a system that will be able to hold those players and get them to perform at international level. And that can only be good for us.

Hopefully it also attracts fixtures like we've spoken about, more sponsorship and greater revenue into the game that we'll be able to sort of put more resources in behind these group of players, but obviously players to come in the future as well.

[Reporter:] One of the reasons why the Netherlands have done really well in recent years is that some of your players get to experience the English county, they have been playing English county [cricket]. Now you have mentioned IPL, the IPL auction is scheduled in a few months’ time. Would you like to see some of your players featuring in the tournament so that the league get more eyeballs back in Netherlands?

[Ryan Cook:] Yeah, once again, I mean the guys are very open to obviously playing games in different countries. Our fixture list is such that most of the leagues that are played, our players would have full availability for those leagues. I know being involved in a lot of the leagues in IPL and in the SA20 that sometimes you know the auction depends on who's available and who's not available. I think mostly in our cases. We're always available.

If anyone is looking for players who are available the whole time and are good quality players like they've shown here, they would be a very good mix for those guys to get. And I think a lot of the players have stood up here. Some of the top wicket takers in the tournament, some guys have really shot nicely with the bat in specific parts of the game, which I think would be very attractive to lots of different leagues.

IPL would be a great experience for our players and that would be sort of the next level. But, you know, even just any of the other leagues as well would be well welcomed from the players' point of view and obviously the experience that they can gain in that space.

[Reporter:] India has already sealed their spot at the top of the entire table. Tomorrow, regardless of the win or whatever the result is, they're going to finish top.

So, there is an opportune moment. Do you think this is the time to play them?

[Ryan Cook:] No, I don't think there's any opportune moment to play them. Obviously, they're playing really good cricket at the moment. They've won all the matches and pretty convincingly in that way as well. I don't see them taking their foot off the pedal in any way to going into the semifinals and into the finals. I'm sure they'll be putting their best foot forward and preparing for us as much as they do for any other team. And we would obviously be showing them the same courtesy as well. So, we have great respect for India and the players within there. And I'm sure that they will show the same respect to us and play a great game of cricket as we will be trying to do tomorrow. 

[Reporter:] Bangalore has been a home away from home for you all. You started your pre-World Cup training here. What are your thoughts on playing your last league fixture - ending it here?

[Ryan Cook:] I wish that everyone could have seen [Shariz] Ahmad's face yesterday when we had our optional training, again which about nine or ten guys arrived to.

It was a dream come true for him. It was like, you know, watching someone arrive at Lords or, you know, this is his dream. He's an RCB supporter. He's always obviously been following the cricket and he just had such a smile on his face.

And all he wanted to do was hit a six at the Chinnaswamy, which obviously he did out in the nets yesterday. So, he was obviously super happy about that.

Yeah, we've loved Bangalore. As you mentioned, we came here for a pre-camp to work on our spin play, especially then we came up on a pre-camp as well. And it's very welcoming. We really like Bangalore as a city.

And yeah, to play at the Chinnaswamy in front of a full crowd tomorrow in our last game will be a real good challenge for us to test our skills and where we've been, how much we've improved over the time and how much learning we may still have to do. So yeah, we're really looking forward to it. It's really exciting for us.

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