Former Indian captain Kapil Dev never mince his words when it comes to giving his opinions on raging topics about the game of cricket and its players. Having seen how Indian cricket has evolved over the years, Kapil Dev, who led the Indian team to the iconic 1983 World Cup win, isn’t very pleased.
With the key players missing mega events because of injuries, Dev has questioned the commitments of Indian stars. He suggested that these top stars wouldn’t mind playing in the Indian Premier League(IPL) with minor injuries but when it comes to doing the same for the national team, they would prefer to miss out.
Kapil Dev Made A Big Statement On Jasprit Bumrah
In his latest interview with The Week, Kapil questioned the progression status of star bowler Jasprit Bumrah, who has been out of the Indian set-up for over a year now. With the ODI World Cup 2023 just around the corner, Kapil feels it would be a waste of time if Bumrah doesn’t make it on time for the marquee event. He said:
“What happened to Bumrah? He started working with so much belief, but if he’s not there (in World Cup semi-final/final)… we wasted time on him. Rishabh Pant… such a great cricketer. Had he been there, our Test cricket would’ve been better,”
Further, Kapil Dev claimed that the IPL is a wonderful thing but he isn’t happy to see the players putting the cash-rich league above their national duties. He said:
“God is kind, it’s not as if I never got injured. But today, they are playing 10 months in a year. Give a benefit of doubt to that, but everybody has to look after themselves. IPL is a great thing but IPL can spoil you also. Because, a little bit of injuries and you will play in IPL. A little bit of injuries, you won’t play for India. You would take a break. I’m being very open about it,”
Kapil Slammed The BCCI
Dev also didn’t spare the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) and slammed it for its poor management of the players’ workload. He said:
“If you have a small injury, you would play in IPL if it’s an important game. At this stage, cricket board has to understand how much cricket they should play. That is the bottomline. If today, you have resources, money, but you don’t have three or five-year calendars. There’s something wrong with cricket board there,”
