Kapil Dev slams India players for taking a break from international cricket due to injury, but not from IPL

Kapil gave examples of Jasprit Bumrah and Rishabh Pant.

Former India captain Kapil Dev slammed Indian players for resting themselves from international cricket if they have a small injury, but not doing the same when it comes to the IPL. With months to go for the ODI World Cup, Team India's preparations for the marquee home tournament haven't inspired much confidence so far.

West Indies defeated India in the second ODI of the three-match series by 6 wickets as the management decided to rest Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli to check out the bench strength.

India had started well with ODI series wins against New Zealand and Sri Lanka at home, but lost to Australia 1-2 just before the IPL 2023 began.

Also, the fact that India is missing several key players like Jasprit Bumrah, KL Rahul, Shreyas Iyer, and Rishabh Pant to name a few due to injury has not done well for the team’s confidence.

As a result, Kapil Dev, who led India to their first-ever World Cup win in 1983, talked about India's handling of injuries in the build-up to the World Cup. He talked in detail about some of the key players like Bumrah and Pant and insisted that the advent of the Indian Premier League has made it difficult for players to look after themselves.

“What happened to Bumrah? He started working with so much belief, but if he's not there (in the World Cup semi-final/final)...wasted time on him. Rishabh Pant... such a great cricketer. Had he been there, our Test cricket would've been better.

God is kind, it's not as if I never got injured. But today, they are playing 10 months a year. Give a benefit of the doubt to that, but everybody has to look after themselves. IPL is a great thing but IPL can spoil you also. Because of a little bit of injuries and you will play in IPL. With a little bit of injuries, you won't play for India. You would take a break. I'm being very open about it,” said Kapil Dev to the WEEK.

Kapil also urged the BCCI to take the initiative in helping players avoid injuries and workload management.

“If you have a small injury, you would play in IPL if it's an important game. At this stage, the cricket board has to understand how much cricket they should play. That is the bottom line. If today, you have resources, and money, but you don't have three or five-year calendars. There's something wrong with the cricket board there,” said Kapil.

In good news, Jasprit Bumrah and Prasidh Krishna have begun bowling at full speeds and even played a couple of practice matches in Alur grounds, Bengaluru.