Even before the end of the One Day International series against New Zealand, the focus of the pre-match presser for the 3rd ODI, which will be played in Indore, has shifted to the big picture. With India having wrapped up the series after an 8 wicket win in Raipur, the Indian head coach insisted that they will not play for the rules in the finals.

India, the host of the 2023 World Cup in 50 years, has qualified for the tournament, so there is no impact on the Super League stage. Although they are ranked second in the table, this is a season in which they regularly cut and change their playing XI, often preferring to experiment rather than field the best XI.

Explaining the reason, India's chief coach said on Monday: "Last year, the focus was on the T20 World Cup. The Test World Cup is an ongoing process, it's a constant. always in your mind. Along with that, the idea is to prioritize T20 cricket and prioritize the World Cup. As soon as the World Cup is over, the most important thing changed in the 50+ World Cup is getting us well prepared for October-November.

"It's a challenge in that sense: you have three series and you have to prioritize a few of them. The World Test Championship is always the most important thing, it's always in the background. Along with that, you need to find out what white ball activities you are playing.

"For us, in this cycle, it will be something... we have completed five games, this will be the sixth game. We have three against Australia, we have the Asia Cup, three against the West Indies, plus or minus 1 or 2 more, you have about 15 games."

Emphasizing the exclusion of Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma from the upcoming T20 series as part of the project management, Dravid added: "At this stage, we have removed the players we want and we are there. It's just making sure our players are reduced, we play them more in one-day cricket and prioritize the process."

He does not underestimate the importance of the IPL, as he makes it clear that the likes of Jasprit Bumrah and Ravindra Jadeja - who have been out of the national team for a long time but are expected to play in T20 league final. - has been under injury management.

"As far as Bumrah and Jadeja are concerned, it's not about managing the workload," he said. "They got injured and took time out, we are continuing to investigate these things. Injury management and job management are two different things. We need to improve both and see what we need most in the short term given the amount of cricket we play, make sure we have great players available for big tournaments.

“As far as the IPL is concerned, it is something that the NCA and the medical team are in touch with the franchises, unless there is an injury, we release the players for the IPL because it is also a big tournament for the BCCI. It is a good tournament to evaluate the players for the T20 series. "

While talking about the importance of managing the workload, he emphasized the importance of giving full game time to the key players, who are not part of the best XI.

"No match is a formality when you're playing for India. But here we are getting the opportunity to ensure that we can give opportunities to those who are sitting on the bench. It's important that you have to win every match and series.

"But it is also important to give the team enough time, each team has 15 members and only 11 can play. So you have to give the four people sitting outside a chance whenever you get a chance. As you have seen, when there are injuries (in critical moments) the bench players should also be ready.

"When you go to a major tournament, every team tries to make sure that all 15 players have full game experience, so it's good to have an opportunity like that. But that doesn't mean it's legal. Whatever 11 we put on the pitch, our effort is to win the game."

Even as none of the national players are expected to be released for the Ranji Trophy quarterfinals as part of the preparation for the upcoming Border-Gavaskar Trophy, Dravid said that there could be a possibility of releasing a few players if need be once the Test series starts.

"We would like for our boys to be playing Ranji Trophy as and when possible, but it's a tough one for us," he said. "The quarterfinals are on the 31st. Our build-up for Border-Gavaskar Trophy is also around that time. In the lead-up and build-up to a big series like that, we wouldn't be able to release any players.

"But as and when the series starts and an opportunity presents itself for a player who is not playing in our team and is required in a semifinal and a final, we would love to look at it. It's certainly something we do keep at the back of our minds.

"We are quite keen to call a few players in the leadup to our preparation camp in Nagpur. We have already agreed with the selectors that we won't be touching anyone who would be playing in the quarterfinals of the Ranji Trophy."