When Rahul Dravid played for India, his training sessions were meticulously planned. No stone would be left unturned as he prepared for bigger battles. While his role has certainly changed from an active player to India A and India U19 coach, the training regime and overall preparations remain the same. Under Dravid’s watchful eyes, the India U19 team is fast shaping into a formidable unit. On Tuesday, he sat down with the Junior Selection Committee in Mumbai to pick the squad of 15 members for the upcoming ICC U19 World Cup in to be played in Bangladesh from January 27 to February 14, 2016. In an exclusive chat with BCCI.TV, Dravid shared his thoughts on the promising young team that won the Tri-Nation tournaments in India and Sri Lanka without dropping a game. India have been unbeaten in both the Tri-Nation series in Kolkata and Sri Lanka. Are you happy with the way the team has shaped up? Yes, I have been really happy with the way we played over the last month or so. It is not so much about the results, but I am happy about the fact that we were able to give nearly 20 players an opportunity to play. We were able to give them a chance to show what they are made up of. That is what the U19 cricket should be about. It is about giving people an opportunity. It is just a pity that because our preparations started late, we haven’t had a chance to give more people an opportunity. I would have loved to give more opportunities and would have loved to rotate the squad a lot more. So it was nice that even though we rotated the team in both the tournaments, we were still able to get the results. It is a good sign for Indian cricket and it shows that there is a pretty good crop of young players coming through. In terms of preparation for the upcoming World Cup, how important were these two tournaments? I think it was important from the perspective that we had only these two tournaments to pick our final World Cup squad. So it was important that we were able to rotate the squad, try out different combinations, and try different captains to zero in on the final World Cup squad. The Indian bowlers have done very well and the batsmen too have done a fine job. Do you feel India have a balanced squad? I think we have got a very good balanced side, especially for the conditions (in Bangladesh). We were looking for different kinds of skills set. I think the fast bowlers have been exceptional in both the tournaments. We have a couple of good spinners coming through as well. We have a lot of all-rounders in the spin department, which should be really helpful in Bangladesh. India are placed in Group ‘D’ with Australia, New Zealand and Nepal. Look, India are in a tough group with two full members side and Nepal, who have done well at the U19 level. We will have to play very good cricket. In a tight group like ours with only three games, there is no chance for even a single slip-up. I think most teams are going to be well prepared. Australia and New Zealand have been preparing for a long time, so we know we have our work cut out. They say you learn more about the game as a coach than as a player. Has it been the same for you? It is interesting being a coach you learn about a lot more things than as a player. As a player and as a batsman, your focus is on the batting side of things and you don’t pay as much attention to bowling. Coming in as a coach, I have been having conversations with our bowling coaches and the bowlers, and I have learnt quite a few things about bowling definitely. I have obviously been very curious and inquisitive about batting right through my career. So it is interesting as you get a better overall perspective about the game than you do as a player and especially as a specialist batsman.