Making it clear that India’s squad for next year’s ODI World Cup in England has been more or less finalised, India head coach Ravi Shastri stated that the team management will from now on stop experimenting in the limited games available before the big event begins in June.
"We will try to play (those) 15, who will go to the World Cup. Chopping and changing is over now. The grace period is over now," Shastri made it clear during the pre-departure press conference ahead of the Australian tour.
India only have 13 matches before taking on South Africa in their opening game of the ODI World Cup on June 5, next year. “We don't have too many games now. We have 13 games, so we will look to play the best team at all times," Shastri said.
Shastri also confirmed that the upcoming ODI series in Australia will give a fair idea about the Indian squad which will travel to England for the World Cup.
“The Test series is obviously important because this is the last [big] series before the World Cup, so the focus will be on that. As far as the ODIs are concerned, we’ll play close a 15-member squad that will go to the World Cup.”
India will play a four-match Test series beginning on December 6 at Adelaide and Shastri said that the visitors will have to learn from their experience in South Africa and England to challenge Australia.
"I see a lot of progress across all formats and I say that in spite of the (series) scoreline in England. When you look at actual performances in conditions that are foreign to us, we are more than happy," he said.
The coach is hopeful that players have learnt from their mistakes of previous tours.
"It is a learning process. If we learn from the mistakes that we made in South Africa and England, it will hold us in good stead in Australia.