Given that Team India has not won an ICC title since the 2013 ICC Champions Trophy, legendary all-rounder Kapil Dev suggested the BCCI will need to take some tough decisions if they want to win the 2023 ODIWorld Cup, which will be played at home.
India is scheduled to host the ICC Cricket World Cup 2023 in October-November, and there will also be a T20 World Cup in 2024, given that the former captain wants the Indian cricket team management to put their personal interests on a backseat and make some tough calls for the team.
The legendary all-rounder further said that Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma alone cannot win the World Cup for India, and if they continue to heavily rely on the senior stars and 2-3 other players, then things won’t change and their cabinet will remain empty of ICC trophies.
Kapil Dev said in a show on ABP news: “Aap Virat pe, Rohit pe ya 2-3 players pe bhadosa karenge ki wo hume World Cup jeetayenge toh aisa kabhi bhi nahi ho sakta (If you think Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, and 2-3 players will win us the World Cup then that’s never going to happen).”
He continued, “You should believe in your team. Do we have such a team? Definitely. Do we have certain match winners? Yes, of course! We have players who can win the World Cup. If you want to win the World Cup, the coach, selectors, and team management will have to make some tough decisions. Personal interests will have to take a backseat and they will need to think about the team.”
The former Indian skipper feels the 2023 ODI World Cup will be the final World Cup for both Kohli and Rohit.
He said: “The biggest positive is that the World Cup will happen in India. Nobody knows the conditions better than we do. For the last 8-10 years, Rohit and Virat have been two of the most important cricketers for India. Many have started to ask the question if this will be Virat and Rohit’s last World Cup.
I believe they can play but they will need to work really hard. Fitness will play a key role. There are a lot of youngsters coming up, will they be able to compete with them? There is a question mark but it depends on how they want to play their game. There is no shortage of ability.”
The legendary all-rounder also urged the youngsters to make the most of the opportunity in the absence of the senior stars, as he felt the Indian team should now revolve around them.
He concluded, “There are always a couple of players who turn out to be the pillars of your side. The team revolves around them but we need to break that and build at least 5-6 players like that. That’s why I say, you can’t depend on Virat and Rohit. You need players who fulfill each of their responsibilities. The youngsters will need to come forward and say ‘it is our time'.”
(ABP News inputs)
