Legendary all-rounder Kapil Dev has conceded that the current crop of Indian cricketers are much more fitter and hardworking than those from his era.
Kapil, who picked up 687 international wickets in his illustrious career, also hailed India’s pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah as ‘1000 times better’ bowler than himself.
The 65-year-old is widely regarded as one of the greatest all-rounders to have played the game. He was the leading wicket-taker in Test cricket at the time of retirement from the game. It was under his leadership that India lifted their maiden World Cup trophy in 1983.
“Bumrah is 1000 times better than me,” Kapil told news agency PTI. “These young boys are far better than us. We had more experience. They are better. They are very good. Outstanding. They are fitter. They are much more hardworking. They are fantastic.”
The Indian cricket team is currently participating in the T20 World Cup 2024, taking place in the USA and West Indies. The Men in Blue, led by Rohit Sharma, have qualified for the semi-final without losing a match in the competition so far.
Ahead of the semi-final against England, Kapil Dev refrained from naming any individual who can potentially be crucial to India’s chances.
“Why talk about only Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Jasprit Bumrah, Hardik Pandya, or Kuldeep Yadav? Everybody has a role to play. Their job is to win the tournament,” Kapil said.
“To win a match, an odd person can come out, but to win a tournament everybody has to work together. If we are going to depend on Bumrah or Arshdeep, then you are going to lose it,” he added.
“Let’s talk about the team. That gives you a better perspective rather than the odd player. Yes main player is there and we can go around him. But everybody has to chip in to win the World Cup,” he continued.
Citing the example of 1983 triumph, Kapil said, “Roger Binny, Mohinder Amarnath, Kirti Azad, Yashpal Sharma all came out with match-winning performances. If you start depending on one player it means you are not going to win tournaments more often.”
However, he reckons the role of a captain is exaggerated. “Everybody can do captaincy. Hardik, Virat, Rohit everyone can do captaincy. When you give ball to somebody, the bowler has to do the job. Yes captain is there to help you out but it’s not like if you don’t win he is not a good captain.”
India and England are due to square off in the second semi-final of the T20 World Cup 2024 at the Providence Stadium in Guyana on Thursday (June 27).
The winner of the last-four clash will face South Africa in the title clash in Barbados on Saturday (June 29).
