Rahul Dravid press conference today ahead of India vs New Zealand | CWC 2023 Reporter: Question about Hardik Pandya] [Rahul Dravid:] Yeah, obviously, is an important player for us and he is an important all-rounder so helps us really balance our squad out really well. But he is going to be missing this game, so we will have to work around that and see what is the best combination and what we can come up with best. I mean, in the end, we've got to work with the 14 that we've got. Sometimes you do expect that these kind of things can happen, so that's why you have got a squad. We will have to see what works best for these conditions and these wickets. But yeah, probably might not have the kind of balance that we probably used in the first four games. [Reporter:] I have a two-part question. One is, in most of the games so far, the Indian spinners have been able to choke the opposition out. Do you guys have also observed that the opposition batters have been a little circumspect and not put the spinners under pressure? And B, in terms of the opposition's quality to play spin, is this India's biggest challenge so far, at least from facing the spin point of view? [Rahul Dravid:] I wouldn't really want to focus much on the opposition players. I'd really like to compliment the role of our spinners. I think they have done a fantastic job. I think the way the three of them bowled in the first game and then obviously we played with Kuldeep and Jadeja in the next three games but just the way they bowled and like you said rightly you know the way they've been able to bring us back into games, control games, take wickets, bring the run rate down, has been more, I think, down to their skill and their ability. So yeah, big credit to them. And also, just the bowling coaches working with them to really ensure that they've been bowling really well. I thought Rohit's done a great job of handling them really well and working out the right ends, some really good field placings as well. So yes, I think all in all we have done a really good job and hopefully we can keep it going. Reporter:] We heard about some reports about the wickets - Whether it’s an Australia match or Pakistan match? That there is some favorism in the wickets from the ICC. How do you see that, because we have made runs, we have taken wickets – and we never say anything about the wicket. So how do you see this as a coach? [Rahul Dravid:] I will definitely respectfully disagree with the average rating given for those two wickets. I think they were good wickets. Maybe I will answer this in English because I might get myself into trouble by saying something. If you only want to see 350 games and rate only those wickets as good, then I disagree with that. I think you have to see different skills on display as well. It's not about if we wanted to see only 4’s and 6’s being hit, then we have T20 wickets as well, where, honestly, in Delhi or in Pune, probably 350-plus wickets as well. Only those are good wickets, then why are the bowlers here? Why have spinners at all, for that matter? If you all want spinners to come in and bowl 10 - 60 and go, so that you can watch fours and sixes and one ball spins or two balls spin and you rate that as average. I disagree with that because I think we should see all skills on display, the ability to rotate strike through the middle. See the quality of watching Jadeja bowl or a Santner bowl or a Zampa bowl or watching Kane Williamson rotate the strike through the middle, Virat Kohli and KL Rahul the way they batted against Australia. Those are skills as well. Those also need to come out and be shown and be displayed. Some of the wickets, even we have played, I mean, honestly, in Delhi and Pune, rotating the strike in the middle overs wasn't necessarily a very difficult skill. The contest was about who could hit more 4’s and 6’s. So that's not the only way, in my opinion, respectfully, to be able to judge wickets. I think we need to have a better way of deciding what is good and average. So, I give you an example. I mean, we were, So I don't know what the rating was for those wickets, but we played the T20 World Cup in Australia. In Perth, we played a game 138 plays 138. India plays South Africa, seaming and swinging all over the place. That's a T20 game. I don't know what rating was given to that. I hope - maybe I hope that was rated average as well. World T20 final Pakistan plays England again 130 scored in a T20 game. I am not complaining about that. I think it is good, it is great. That wicket at Perth was good. It challenged different skills. It brought different skills out in display. And I am saying this even though we have lost those games. So that is no problem with that. Sometimes wickets will turn a bit, sometimes they will seam a bit, they will swing a bit, they will bounce a bit. All we want to see is sixes and fours being hit in 350 scores as good wickets, then I disagree. #CWC2023 #rahuldravid #indvsnz