IND vs SA: Ahead of 1st T20, Rahul Dravid says, 'not paying attention to records, want to win every game'

Ahead of India's first T20I clash against South Africa on Thursday, Indian team head coach Rahul Dravid said that the team is not paying any attention to records and numbers. Team India will be looking forward to becoming the first side to win 13 T20Is in a row as they take on the Proteas in the first match of the five-match home series at Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi.

READ | India vs South Africa T20I series: Squad, schedule, venues, live streaming and all you need to know about IND vs SA

"We have not really thought of or paid attention to the records. It is nice to win games. But for me, a lot of this is about not worrying about creating records or numbers, we want to win every game we play. We want to prepare and practise well and get to the field with our tactics right and try executing them. If it happens, it is great," said the head coach during a press conference.

"We are up against a strong South African side and that is what makes it exciting for me. It is gonna give us a good test. It will give a lot of our youngsters that did not get a chance earlier, a chance to test themselves against a really good side. That is the exciting part for us. If we win, we win. But if we do not, we learn, move to the next game and continue," he added.

We have a challenge ahead of us against a strong South African side: #TeamIndia Head Coach Rahul Dravid #INDvSA | @Paytm pic.twitter.com/AFaZ2XTuNn

— BCCI (@BCCI) June 7, 2022

Dravid said that Dinesh Karthik has been able to show skills at the backend of the innings during the last 2-3 years.

"He has been able to be a point of difference for teams he has played. He has been picked to bat in that kind of position and to see whether he can replicate those performances for India as well," he added.

Karthik excelled as a finisher for RCB, scoring 330 runs in 16 games at an average of 55.00. He scored one half-century for his side in the recently-concluded IPL 2022.

The head coach said that pacer Umran Malik is learning and improving all the time.

"It was exciting and he bowled very well in IPL. An exciting thing for me during IPL as an outsider was to watch many Indian players bowl really fast. I would love that to get translated into the longer formats as well. He has got that pace. The more he is able to play, the better he will be able to get. So from our perspective, it is good to have him in the mix," he added.

READ | Revealed: SRH pacer Umran Malik won THIS staggering sum through awards in IPL 2022

However, Dravid said it remains to be seen as to how much play-time could be given to players like Umran Malik and Arshdeep Singh, who received their maiden national side call ups, taking 22 wickets for Sunrisers Hyderabad and 10 wickets for Punjab Kings respectively in IPL 2022.

"There is a large squad of 18 players, it is not possible to give everyone time in the playing eleven. I am someone who wants to give players time and let them feel settled in their positions," he added.

Dravid admitted that it is good to have spinner Kuldeep Yadav back in the side after great performances in the recently concluded IPL, where he took 21 wickets for Delhi Capitals.

"He is a wicket-taker and can turn games around with wickets in middle overs. There are a lot of positives about having him in the mix. We also have players like Harshal (Harshal Patel) and Bhuvi (Bhuvneshwar Kumar), who have experience. Yuzi has shown a lot of class over the last six months, in the IPL as well. Bishnoi has done really well. Axar is an an all-rounder. There are a lot of options for us," he added.

Ahead of the first T20I of the five-match series against South Africa, Team India started practising, here at the Arun Jaitely Stadium on Monday.

Hardik will be making his comeback to the Team India squad, after his successful stint in IPL 2022, where he guided Gujarat Titans to the title in their maiden season.

#TeamIndia Head Coach, Rahul Dravid is excited to have someone of @hardikpandya7's quality in the side. #INDvSA | @Paytm pic.twitter.com/dszAELbKwy

— BCCI (@BCCI) June 7, 2022

As Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma have been rested from the series, Team India will be led by KL Rahul along with Rishabh Pant as the vice-captain. After delivering great performances in IPL 2022, pacers Arshdeep Singh and Umran Malik got their maiden Team India call-up for the series.

India's squad: KL Rahul (C), Ruturaj Gaikwad, Ishan Kishan, Deepak Hooda, Shreyas Iyer, Rishabh Pant (vice-captain)(WK), Dinesh Karthik (WK), Hardik Pandya, Venkatesh Iyer, Yuzvendra Chahal, Kuldeep Yadav, Axar Patel, Ravi Bishnoi, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Harshal Patel, Avesh Khan, Arshdeep Singh and Umran Malik.

South Africa's squad: Temba Bavuma (c), Quinton de Kock, Reeza Hendricks, Heinrich Klaasen, Keshav Maharaj, Aiden Markram, David Miller, Lungi Ngidi, Anrich Nortje, Wayne Parnell, Dwaine Pretorius, Kagiso Rabada, Tabraiz Shamsi, Tristan Stubbs, Rassie van der Dussen, Marco Jansen.