New Delhi: Cricketing pundits around the World might have touted India as one of the hot favorites to win the upcoming World T20 Cup in Sri Lanka, but then legendary Indian all rounder Kapil Dev thinks otherwise and raised doubts over their chances.
“My heart and mind are opposed to each other. My heart being an Indian says that they will win the World Cup and my cricketing brain thinks that they will find it very difficult. The way they played in the last T20 against New Zealand is not a good sign ahead of such an important tournament. They lost from a winning position and one can just not let go off opportunities like that. Defeats like this are one of the main reasons to lose confidence and India will have to avoid situations like that in the tournament,” said Kapil Dev during the inauguration of Louis Philippe flag ship store here.
“Getting off to a good start in the tournament will be a key thing and then should think about the later part of the tournament,” he added.
Putting emphasis on strong Indian batting line-up, Kapil said that India’s success in the T20 extravaganza will depend on the batting line-up.
“India’s biggest strength is the batting. Every team has 1-2 match winning batsmen, but India have around 5-6 batsmen who can turn the match all by themselves. But then, they will have to avoid complacency,” said the 1983 World Cup winning captain
On Yuvraj Singh’s comeback, Kapil said, “Everyone is talking about it, but then for me his comeback is more than whatever he does on the field. It is not about scoring 100/50 or taking wickets but the spirit that he has showed. The phase that he has gone through in last 200 odd days cannot be explained in words. He has become an inspiration to everyone and I just wish that he stays well. I wish him luck.”
Indian skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni’s captaincy after the debacle in the England and Australia has been questioned over and over again with people questioning his approach. Asked if he thought on the same lines, Kapil contradicted and said, “Dhoni has nothing to prove to anyone. He has done enough as a captain.”
Talking about BCCI’s superstitious approach which now has seen them drop the new T20 kit, Kapil said, “We all have superstitions but it should take a back seat at this level. On a given day the performance on the field matters the most.”
By Samikhan Dutta Choudhary
Indian Sports News Network
