'I have confidence that...' - India head coach Rahul Dravid reacts to experts picking Australia as favourites to win WTC final 2023 

Rahul Dravid (Source: Twitter)

With the conclusion of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023, all focus has switched to the longer format of the game. We are just a day away from witnessing the World Test Championship (WTC) final between India and Australia, as the two heavyweights of international cricket will clash at The Oval from June 7 to 11. Former cricketers and pundits have already picked their favourites by assessing the squad and playing conditions.

Legendary cricketers like Ravi Shastri, Ricky Ponting and Wasim Akram have said that Australia has the upper hand. When asked during a conversation with Star Sports on Sunday, the former India head coach Shastri admitted that Australia are the favourites on paper because India are without Jasprit Bumrah. Former Australia captain Ponting backed his country, stating that while Indian players will be entering after the IPL, Australia will be playing with a fresh mind and sufficient rest.

However, when current Team India head coach Rahul Dravid addressed the media on Monday, he gave a befitting reply  to experts' opinions. The Rohit Sharma-led Indian team is sweating hard in the nets in London, guided by Dravid and other coaching staff. The 50-year-old is confident that the 'Men in Blue' will emerge as champions with less hype than their opponents.

"Whatever happens, it will happen over the next 5 days. Whatever happens before that, whatever is being said before and after doesn't matter. Who is favourite, who is not... these are two good teams who are playing. Both teams have some good players. I have very good hope that if we play good cricket, if we can take 20 wickets and score runs, I have confidence that we can win this. Probably, not having hype is a good thing," Dravid said.

'Not at all, we don't feel any pressure'

The former India Test specialist also admitted that India is under no pressure to win a Cricket Governing Body trophy. "Not at all, we don't feel any pressure in terms of trying to win a Cricket Governing Body trophy. Of course, it would be nice to do it. Nice to be able to win a major tournament," he said.

"But also, in the context of things, you look at this and you see this is the culmination of 2 years of work, the culmination of a lot of success that gets you here. There are a lot of positives to take from that, see where you stand in the table, winning series in Australia, drawing series here. Those are things that will never change, just because, you don't have a Cricket Governing Body trophy. That's really the bigger picture," he added.