Published: Nov 01, 2021, 05:59 PM (IST)
Edited: Nov 01, 2021, 05:59 PM (IST)
New Delhi: India succumbed to yet another defeat on Sunday against New Zealand, this time by an 8-wicket margin at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium. The 2007 T20 World Champions chances of qualifying to the next round of the competition in this year’s edition looks slim as New Zealand is now favourites to qualify to the next round along with title contenders Pakistan. Former World Cup winning captain for India, Kapil Dev is quite disappointed with the show put up by Virat Kohli and Co. and didn’t take the former RCB captain’s statement at the post-match presentation in good sport.
Kapil didn’t expect one of the leading players like Virat Kohli to make a statement such as “the team weren’t brave enough” after the heavy loss against the Kiwis. The India legend believes that this kind of body language display from the captain will take the team no where.
“For a big player like him, it is a very weak statement. If that is the kind of body language the team has and if that is kind of thought process the captain has, it is really tough to lift the team. I felt a little strange hearing those words. He isn’t that kind of a player,” Kapil said on ABP News.
“He is a fighter. I think he got lost in the moment or something. A captain should not say words like ‘we were not brave enough’. You are playing for your country and he has the passion. But when you say such words, fingers will definitely be pointed.”
Dev was out of words after the dismal performance of the team and have asserted that a team that who has gained practice from playing IPL will have to face the backlash when they don’t get results.
“I don’t have words. How much can we even criticise? A team that claims to have played the IPL and gain practice, when it plays like this, there will be criticism. When you win, no amount of praise is enough, but right now, no amount of criticism is enough because they did not play the kind of cricket expected of them. You fight and lose, we understand. But today there was not a single performance which we can be happy about,” Kapil told.
