Players are not machines, workload management a must: Dravid

Rohit Sharma insisted Kane Williamson's absence from the series won't affect their planning against other New Zealand players.

Jaipur: India T20I captain Rohit Sharma said that the team needs to get the template right in the format. He added that India needs to form its own template rather than following some other team's formula. Sharma and head coach Rahul Dravid addressed the pre-match press conference ahead of the first T20I against New Zealand on Wednesday.

"We just need to set the template right, and we have got some time to do that. India have been brilliant in T20Is but it's just that we haven't won an ICC tournament. We have played and performed well as the team. We will be looking to fill some holes in the team. I'm not saying we should follow certain team's template. We should set our own template, which suits the best for us," said Sharma.

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Sharma insisted Kane Williamson's absence from the series won't affect their planning against other New Zealand players.

"We have to focus on every New Zealand player. They had different players who performed during the T20 World Cup. Kane Williamson will be missed by them but they have other match-winning players."

Head coach Rahul Dravid believes that New Zealand can't be called underdogs all the time. "New Zealand are a very, very good side, make no mistake about it. You don't need me to say that. It's almost become fashionable to call them underdogs but that narrative has changed. They have beaten us in big games but therein lies an opportunity for us."

At the same time, Dravid emphasised on workload management to keep players fit and fresh ahead of big tournaments.

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"Workload management is an important aspect of cricket. We see that in football as well. The mental and physical well-being of players will be a priority. We need to do a balancing act, have to work towards having players fit for the big tournaments.

"Workload management is important. Players aren't machines. We want all our players fresh for the challenges ahead. It's very simple, we have to monitor every series we play," added Dravid.

IANS