Kapil Dev
Kapil Dev. Image-PTI

Former Indian captain Kapil Dev has come out in support of team India after a humbling eight-wicket loss in the ICC World Test Championship final against New Zealand in Southampton. Virat Kohli did not have the most desired start to the English sojourn as he was unsuccessful in capturing the ICC World Test Championship, with the Kiwis coming on top comfortably. But Kapil Dev considers reaching the final of any tournament an achievement in itself.

After a sensational run in Test cricket in the past few months, the Indian side could not deal with the pressure as New Zealand thrived in all the departments. Despite losing two wickets early on the final day while chasing 139 on a seaming track, New Zealand’s experienced duo of Kane Williamson and Ross Taylor played maturely. Williamson, in particular, played exceptionally well in both the innings, scoring 49 and 52* respectively.

Virat Kohli
Virat Kohli. (Photo: Twitter)

The World Test Championship final loss was India’s sixth consecutive failure in an ICC tournament after an incredible run before the knockouts or final. Hence, it begged the question of whether the men in blue struggle to cope up with the pressure on a big occasion. It was also Virat Kohli’s third instance as captain of failing to get India over the line in a massive game.

We see it very critically – one bad performance and the media shows it a hundred times: Kapil Dev

Kapil Dev
Kapil Dev (Image Credit: Getty)

Kapil Dev conceded that reaching the final or semi-final is a massive accomplishment and that one cannot win a trophy all the time. The 1983 World Cup-winning skipper refuses to believe that the Indian team does not play well under pressure and instead feels the opposition had a better day. He also criticized the media for showing India’s one bad performance time and again instead of recognizing how good a team they have been over a long period.

“Tell me one thing: they are reaching the semi-final or final each and every time, isn’t that an achievement in itself? We criticise very quickly. You can’t win the trophy every time. Look at how well they played. If they lose one match here or the World Cup semi-final, does that mean they are succumbing to pressure? No, that’s not how it goes. They (the opposition) had a better day,; they played better. We see it very critically – one bad performance and the media shows it a hundred times: ‘These guys can’t take the pressure, can’t take pressure’. We have all won a lot of games under the same pressure as well,” Dev told in the Sports Yaari Youtube channel.

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