‘Kele Ki Shop Lagao, Ande Becho’: Kapil Dev Made A Big Statement On Players Complaining About ‘Pressure’

Former Indian captain Kapil Dev, who led the Indian cricket team to its first-ever World Cup win, continues to maintain his stance on pressure, despite being bashed by fans previously for his remarks. On Friday, while addressing a gathering in Kolkata, the former Indian captain once again talked about the work pressure and urged for a change in perspective.

Kapil Dev urged the current generation of cricketers to take the sport less seriously and have more fun on the field. He also argued that a player should retire from the sport if the pressure of playing for team India gets too much to handle. 

Talking about the same topic, Kapil Dev wondered how can a player chosen to represent the country, having such a massive population, give such excuses. He feels that a player should instead be proud of representing than feel pressurized. The legendary batter also made a bold remark against players citing pressure to “open a banana stall, or sell eggs.” He said:

“I keep hearing ‘We are playing the IPL. There is so much pressure.’ This word is so common, right? To them, I say ‘Don’t play’. Who is asking you to? There is pressure, but if you are playing at that level, you will be admired and abused. If you are afraid of abuses, then don’t play. You are representing the country and you have pressure? How is that possible? Out of a country of 100 crore, 20 of you are playing and then you say you have pressure? Instead, say it’s a matter of pride. You are getting so much love from people. Learn to take that pride.”

He added: “Pressure is an American word. If you don’t want to work, don’t. Is anyone forcing you? Jaa ke kele ki shop lagao. Ande becho ja ke. (Open a banana stall, go sell eggs). But when you have gotten an opportunity, why do you take it as pressure. Take it as pleasure and have fun with it. The day you start doing it, the job will appear easy. But if you call the same thing pressure, nothing good can come of it.“

The video of the same has been making rounds on the internet. Watch it here:

This isn’t the first time Kapil Dev has talked about the ‘workload pressure’. Time and again, Kapil Dev has slammed cricketers for giving excuses for workload management.  Notably, several cricketers have cited pressure and have taken long breaks from the sport. Even England’s all-rounder Ben Stokes resonates with similar views and has taken retirement from one format.

Meanwhile, fans came up with mixed reactions to Kapil Dev’s bold remarks. Check out the reactions of fans to it: