Team India look to be in belligerent form ahead of the T20 World Cup 2026 and will enter the tournament as a formidable contender to retain their title.
Legendary all-rounder Kapil Dev is also confident of the Men in Blue defending their World cup title at home, but he emphasized that Test cricket should continue to form the foundation of the sport.
"I think there are two ways of looking at it. In T20 cricket, no doubt our team is one of the best—you can always have a bad day. But if you are talking about cricket, you have to talk about Test cricket," Kapil told PTI Video.
"One-day cricket should also not be ignored. I understand that T20 is thrilling, but the base of the game is Test cricket, and we should be investing more time in it, along with one-day cricket as well,” he added.
India and Pakistan are slated to square off at the T20 World Cup on February 15 in Colombo. When asked if the arch-rivals should lock horns on the cricket field given the diplomatic tension, the 1983 World Cup-winning captain said such decisions were best left to the authorities and reiterated his support for the country's stance.
"It's not fair for people like me to make statements on this. It is the government's call or the cricket board's call.
"Whatever decision they take, I will stand by it because I prefer to stand by my country and not make loose statements. Many cricketers across the border like to do that—I don't. I choose to stand with my country, and whatever policy they have, I am with them.”
While India’s white-ball side has been performing exceptionally well under head coach Gautam Gambhir, producing trophies and strong win-loss records, that success has not translated to the traditional format.
With Gambhir at the helm, India have won seven, lost 10 and drew two of their 19 Tests so far, which includes a couple of clean sweeps against New Zealand (0-3) and South Africa (0-2) at home.
Speculations are rife that the BCCI may adopt split-coaching, with Gambhir retaining the position as white-ball coach. However, he might be replaced in the Test setup.
Commenting on the idea of separate coaches for different formats, Kapil said: "I think it's not fair for me to give an answer like that. Whatever decision is taken, it should lead to the best result. The people who are sitting there and making decisions about Test cricket, One-Day cricket, and T20, that is their job."
"For people like us, it's very easy to make statements out of the blue, but I don't like doing that. It is the responsibility of the cricket board and its think tank, whoever they may be, to decide what is best for Test cricket, One-Day cricket, and T20Is.
"If three coaches are required, they should appoint three. If two are required, appoint two. If one coach is good enough, then that's fine too. It all depends on what the think tank decides," he remarked.
(With PTI Inputs)
