Kapil Dev also talked about the difference in cricket of current time and his playing days.
Former India captain Kapil Dev, who's regarded as one of the greatest all-rounders to play the game, feels the current cricketers focus more on their specialized abilities as cricket has become very hectic. He also said seeing bowlers getting tired after bowling just 4-5 overs makes him sad.
Team India have not produced a world-class fast bowling all-rounder despite having a huge talent pool. Currently, India's Ravindra Jadeja is among the top three all-rounders in the Test ranking, but the team struggles with the fast bowling all-rounders.
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Hardik Pandya was seen as a potential all-rounder to fill the slot, but unfortunately, his injury has not allowed him to do the role. Workload management has become very important for players with a packed schedule.
"What I feel is that when you play 10 months of rigorous cricket in a year, you tend to get injured more. And cricket today is very basic – batsmen want to bat and bowlers want to bat. In our time, we had to do everything. So cricket today has changed. Sometimes it saddens me to see a player getting tired after bowling just four overs and I've heard they're not allowed to bowl more than three or four overs," he said in a discussion with India Today.
Kapil recalled his cricketing days when they would bowl at least 10 overs even to the last batsman walking out in the nets. "I remember in our time – I won't say whether it's right or wrong – even the last player who would come out and bat, we would bowl at least 10 overs to them. That mindset should be there and that helps build muscles. Today perhaps those four overs are enough for them so we feel – our generation – feel a bit strange," he said.
(With India Today Inputs)