India’s most acknowledged allrounder and who led by example winning the 1983 World Cup in England, Kapil Dev believes that today’s generation wants to see competitions.
Kapil is disappointed at the decline of the West Indies and feels England has become a ruthless ODI team. He places Ben Stokes as a better allrounder than what he, Imran Khan, Ian Botham and Richard Hadlee were, and he wants to see how Joe Root shapes up after being given England’s Test captaincy.
Fielding a range of questions during an interaction arranged by the ICC’s broadcaster Star Sports , Kapil Dev also said that the Indian team, chosen for the Champions Trophy was fantastic, but all teams would have to adjust from Twenty20 to limited overs cricket.
Excerpts:
Is the ICC Champions Trophy relevant: The impact of a series, say India playing the West Indies, Australia or New Zealand has diminished somewhat. Events like the World Cup, ICC Champions Trophy evoke interest. I don’t know how and why. IPL or Big Bash make a big impact. Cricket has drifted from the time we used to play bilateral series, now people look forward to all teams taking part in a championship.
People remember World Cup and Champions Trophy matches, they even remember the Benson & Hedges Championship we won. The last Champions Trophy was a huge success. It’s a change in mindset and cricket has to cater to the new generation which likes to see competitions, with all teams playing. Today’s generation watches sports in general. Why India is watching all these tournaments is because we are winning the most. If India had not won the first Twenty20 World Cup, the IPL would not have been this big. Winning brings a lot of things together and this applies to the Champions Trophy.
Absence of the West Indies: It’s very hard to believe that the West Indies will not be at the tournament. I always follow West Indies cricket very closely because that was the best team in our time. If the West Indies team has declined in 20 or 30 years, we can say that the other teams have come up. It’s sad to see the West Indies decline from where it was. There is no shortage of talent though. The West Indies winning the T20 World Cup in Kolkata was fantastic. When someone makes a rule, they don’t think of things like whether this or that team will qualify. I, as a cricketer, lover of the game, think that the West Indies should be there all the time, but again I don’t write the rules.
Making adjustments from T20 to ODI: I think everybody has to make adjustments; the batsmen have to understand that the Champions Trophy would be a 300-ball game and not a 120-ball game. Their temperament has to change. Same with the bowlers. So adjustment is the key. That’s the reason I respect the young professionals a lot. They adapt.
Can India repeat the 2013 show: It’s very difficult to say that. If I look at the Indian team on paper, it looks fantastic, but it would be very unfair... my heart says yes (they can do it again) and my cricketing brain says no. It looks like India has more chances, but again in one-day cricket you don’t need big names, but big commitment that very day.
Playing Pakistan: In the 1980s Pakistan team was better, it beat us more times; but in the last 15 years, the Indian team has become better. Pakistan has nothing to lose at this stage. It has everything to gain.
Anxiety levels of supporters: I personally feel my anxiety levels are less. There are too many things happening around India and Pakistan and I am not excited at all. I have crossed that stage. Had it been 15 years ago, I would have looked forward to an India-Pakistan contest. A young kid must be very keen to see an India-Pakistan match though.
Anxiety levels of the players: Cricket per se has remained the same in the last 20 years and at the same time it has changed a lot in the way of thinking, temperament and playing. I am not into cricket deep down. If you are not in the dressing room, it’s very hard. From outside we can say that the Indian team has reached that level wherein it is only bothered about the performance which is a good sign and a bad sign ... good because it knows its strength and it is not worried, but some times you tend to underestimate the other team’s strength and that can be a little dicey.
India grouped with Pakistan, Sri Lanka and South Africa: The Champions Trophy is a new tournament at a new place and in a new situation. It’s a new challenge. The Indians are lucky as they have played the IPL which is no small matter. People like R. Ashwin have got enough rest; Jadeja did not play all matches. They must be raring to get back to action.
On Yuvraj Singh: He has been the most talented cricketer we have seen in the last 15 years. He has gone through rough times in his life. Hats off to him, he is playing. People who are backing him feel that he is very important. But he has to work very hard; it may sound a little bit different and I would like him to play from the front and not to play in order to win the sympathies of the people, because some times, you go into that mode and say: ‘Yes people want me to play. But the question is do you want to play at that level’. He has huge talent and only his fitness and being there should make him say I deserve it and then nobody is better than him.
Teams to look forward to: I think of England. For the first time in 40 years England has given me the impression that it is producing players for one-day cricket. It has a ruthless approach with players like Jason Roy, Jos Buttler, Joe Root, Eoin Morgan and Ben Stokes. They can win matches on their own. That’s the sort of the team we had ... Dhoni, Sachin, Yuvraj, Sourav Ganguly, Virender Sehwag. For the first time I feel England has so many good players who on their own can win matches.
On Stokes: He is much better than (Imran, Hadlee, Botham and me). We have to respect these young players. They are far better. I don’t think I like to compare, but these boys take more pressure and play more cricket. It’s not easy to play like this across all formats. I will respect them more than us. Stokes is known to be a batting-allrounder; his bowling is handy to the team, same like Jacques Kallis. We were all bowling-allrounders. Stokes is a far better batsman than any one of us were.
Team likely to win: Once you see a couple of matches, it will be easy to make a statement about the conditions and form. I don’t want to put my foot in my mouth now.
