IND vs IRE: What Happened To Jasprit Bumrah? Kapil Dev Takes Brutal Dig At India Stars For Prioritizing IPL Over International Cricket

Former India captain Kapil Dev has taken a sly dig at Team India stars as the team continues to miss several key players ahead of the upcoming World Cup which is just over three months away.

India’s form has been a matter of concern ahead of the marquee event at home. The Men in Blue started the year on a good note by comprehensively beating Sri Lanka and New Zealand in the ODI and the T20I series. But a few weeks later, Rohit Sharma & Co. lost the ODI series against Australia at home before losing the World Test Championship final last month.

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And the latest loss against West Indies has further shaken the Indian cricket fraternity’s confidence in the team ahead of the World Cup. India lost the second ODI against West Indies by six wickets. In the absence of Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli, India were all out for just 181. In the first ODI too, India batted poorly as they lost five wickets while chasing a modest total of 114.

Kapil Dev takes a dig at Indian stars:

India have failed to impress in the absence of key names. The likes of Jasprit Bumrah, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul, and Rishabh Pant are still out due to injuries. While Bumrah, Iyer, and Rahul are expected to return to action soon and play the World Cup, Pant is unlikely to return anytime soon as he continues his recovery after the scary car accident in December last year.

As the Indian team continues to be grappled by injuries to key players, Kapil Dev has taken a dig at the players. The legendary cricketer highlighted that the IPL has made it tough for the players to stay fit, saying that the current players play 10 months a year. He also took a dig at the players, saying that while they don’t mind playing in the IPL with minor injuries, they rarely show the same commitment for India.

“What happened to Bumrah? He started working with so much belief, but if he’s not there (in the World Cup semi-final/final)… we wasted time on him. Rishabh Pant… such a great cricketer. Had he been there, our Test cricket would’ve been better,” Kapil Dev told The Week.

“God is kind, it’s not as if I never got injured. But today, they are playing 10 months in a year. Give a benefit of doubt to that, but everybody has to look after themselves. IPL is a great thing but IPL can spoil you also. Because a little bit of injuries and you will play in IPL. A little bit of injuries, you won’t play for India. You would take a break. I’m being very open about it,” said the former India all-rounder.

Speaking further, Kapil Dev urged the BCCI to be proactive in handling injury-related issues. He also advised the Indian cricket board to look after the players by making the schedule less demanding.

“If you have a small injury, you would play in IPL if it’s an important game. At this stage, the cricket board has to understand how much cricket they should play. That is the bottom line. If today, you have resources, money, but you don’t have three or five-year calendars. There’s something wrong with cricket board there,” said Kapil Dev.

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