T20 World Cup 2021: He Isn’t That Kind Of A Player - Kapil Dev Questions Virat Kohli's "We Were Not Brave Enough" Comment
Updated - 01 Nov 2021, 05:59 PM
Former India captain Kapil Dev has been left unimpressed by Virat Kohli’s recent statement following the loss to New Zealand in Dubai.
Indian batters could manage only 110 in their 20 overs, which the Kiwis overhauled inside 15 overs pushing India on the brink of elimination after two losses.
After India’s 8-wicket loss, Kohli said, “Quite bizarre. To be very honest and brutal up front, I don’t think we were brave enough with bat or ball.”
Kapil Dev questioned this particular remark by the Indian skipper, stating that the Indian captain “got lost in the moment” and shouldn’t have said something as discouraging as this.
“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 Dev 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,” he added.
Right now, no amount of criticism is enough: Kapil Dev
The 1983 World Cup-winning skipper reckons the excessive criticism of the Indian team’s display in the two losses so far is warranted, as the team has failed to live up to the expectations, especially after playing for a month in the UAE for the IPL.
“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 Dev concluded.
India will now need other results to go their way while also winning their remaining three games by big margins. They will next meet Afghanistan on Wednesday in Abu Dhabi.
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ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2021 Kapil Dev Virat Kohli
