New Delhi India's first World Cup-winning captain Kapil Dev on Thursday said collective performance, not individual brilliance, will be the key factor in deciding whether Rohit Sharma's team can end their drought. of trophies for over a decade by winning the T20 World Cup. in the West Indies.
India will face England in the semi-final of the tournament later on Thursday, hoping to reach the final where South Africa awaits after annihilating Afghanistan.
"Why talk only about Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Jasprit Bumrah, Hardik Pandya or Kuldeep Yadav? They all have a role to play. Their job is to win the tournament," Kapil told ideos in an exclusive interview.
"To win a match, an odd person can come out, but to win a tournament everyone has to work together. If we are going to depend on Bumrah or Arshdeep, then we will lose," he said.
"Let's talk about the team. That gives you a better perspective rather than some extraneous player. Yes, the main player is there and we can ignore him. But everyone has to contribute to win the World Cup," he added.
Kapil pointed out that in his 1983 World Cup-winning team, he was not the only one who performed excellently.
"Roger Binny, Mohinder Amarnath, Kirti Azad and Yashpal Sharma put up winning performances. If you start depending on just one player, it means you won't win tournaments more often," he observed.
He wished India good luck ahead of their semi-final match against England and hoped the Men in Blue would clinch the trophy.
"All the best, good luck, I hope the Indian players, because of the way they are playing, continue to play like this, they shouldn't have a bad day and be out of the tournament (like) what happened last time at the World Cup." 50 overs. Cup," said the iconic all-rounder.
"They are playing well, they are enjoying themselves. I take my hat off to them. Good luck to them. I wish them all the luck and happiness," he added.
The 65-year-old, who was elected president of the Indian Professional Golf Tour on Wednesday, said he feels proud to see India perceived as a title contender every time it competes in a global event.
"We should be happy to think that we can win. 20 years ago, you didn't think that. It is important that in every tournament India goes as a favorite. That is something very important.
"We never thought about that. This is enough encouragement for a youngster to take up this sport. I am very happy to see how far Indian cricket has come wonderfully," he emphasised.
Kapil praised Bumrah, who has been India's star player with 11 wickets in the tournament so far.
"Bumrah is 1,000 times better than me. These youngsters are much better than us. We had more experience. They are better. They are very good. Outstanding. They are in better shape. They are much harder working. They are fantastic," he said. saying.
He, however, downplayed the role of captain.
"Everyone can be a captain. Hardik, Virat, Rohit, everyone can be a captain. When you give the ball to someone, the bowler has to do the job. Yes, the captain is there to help you, but it's not like you don't win. "He's not a good captain."
India will face England in the semi-final of the tournament later on Thursday, hoping to reach the final where South Africa awaits after annihilating Afghanistan.
"Why talk only about Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Jasprit Bumrah, Hardik Pandya or Kuldeep Yadav? They all have a role to play. Their job is to win the tournament," Kapil told ideos in an exclusive interview.
"To win a match, an odd person can come out, but to win a tournament everyone has to work together. If we are going to depend on Bumrah or Arshdeep, then we will lose," he said.
"Let's talk about the team. That gives you a better perspective rather than some extraneous player. Yes, the main player is there and we can ignore him. But everyone has to contribute to win the World Cup," he added.
Kapil pointed out that in his 1983 World Cup-winning team, he was not the only one who performed excellently.
"Roger Binny, Mohinder Amarnath, Kirti Azad and Yashpal Sharma put up winning performances. If you start depending on just one player, it means you won't win tournaments more often," he observed.
He wished India good luck ahead of their semi-final match against England and hoped the Men in Blue would clinch the trophy.
"All the best, good luck, I hope the Indian players, because of the way they are playing, continue to play like this, they shouldn't have a bad day and be out of the tournament (like) what happened last time at the World Cup." 50 overs. Cup," said the iconic all-rounder.
"They are playing well, they are enjoying themselves. I take my hat off to them. Good luck to them. I wish them all the luck and happiness," he added.
The 65-year-old, who was elected president of the Indian Professional Golf Tour on Wednesday, said he feels proud to see India perceived as a title contender every time it competes in a global event.
"We should be happy to think that we can win. 20 years ago, you didn't think that. It is important that in every tournament India goes as a favorite. That is something very important.
"We never thought about that. This is enough encouragement for a youngster to take up this sport. I am very happy to see how far Indian cricket has come wonderfully," he emphasised.
Kapil praised Bumrah, who has been India's star player with 11 wickets in the tournament so far.
"Bumrah is 1,000 times better than me. These youngsters are much better than us. We had more experience. They are better. They are very good. Outstanding. They are in better shape. They are much harder working. They are fantastic," he said. saying.
He, however, downplayed the role of captain.
"Everyone can be a captain. Hardik, Virat, Rohit, everyone can be a captain. When you give the ball to someone, the bowler has to do the job. Yes, the captain is there to help you, but it's not like you don't win. "He's not a good captain."
