Legendary India captain Kapil Dev has made shocking remarks about current skipper Rohit Sharma and batting icon Virat Kohli, declaring the two players will not be able to win the ODI World Cup for the country this year.
The 50-over World Cup is scheduled to take place in India in October-November and after last year's T20 World Cup debacle in Australia, the pressure is mounting on the Men in Blue to finally bring an end to the South Asian side's ICC trophy drought at home later this year.
India last won a World Cup title in 2011, and their last ICC trophy came in 2013 in England, both under the leadership of the great MS Dhoni. Since then, the Indians have failed to breach the semifinal barrier, losing at that stage on multiple occasions, most recently in the T20 World Cup to England in Adelaide in 2022.
Against this backdrop, Kapil Dev wants India's youth brigade to step up instead of expecting Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma to deliver the goods for the team, particularly under pressure and in crunch situations.
Besides, Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma, the likes of Hardik Pandya, Shreyas Iyer, Ishan Kishan, and Suryakumar Yadav are expected to play positive cricket for the side because all of them are regarded as aggressive batters.
In the bowling department, pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah is expected to provide early breakthroughs and keep the opposition batters under check in the death overs. Apart from him, India could have the services of the experienced Yuzvendra Chahal, Kuldeep Yadav, and Mohd. Shami in the prestigious tournament.
“If you want to win the World Cup, the coach, selectors, and team management will have to make some tough decisions. Personal interests will have to take a backseat and they will need to think about the team. Aap Virat pe, Rohit pe ya 2-3 players pe bhadosa karenge ki wo hume World Cup jeetayenge toh aisa kabhi bhi nahi ho sakta (If you think Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma and 2-3 players will win us the World Cup then that's never going to happen). You should believe in your team. Do we have such a team? Definitely. Do we have certain match winners? Yes, of course! We have players who can win the World Cup,” Kapil Dev said on ABP News.
“There are always a couple of players who turn out to be the pillars of your side. The team revolves around them but we need to break that and build at least 5-6 players like that. That's why I say, you can't depend on Virat and Rohit. You need players who fulfill each of their responsibilities. The youngsters will need to come forward and say ‘it is our time',” the 1983 World Cup-winning captain added.
“The biggest positive is that the World Cup will happen in India. Nobody knows the conditions better than we do. For the last 8-10 years, Rohit and Virat have been two of the most important cricketers for India. Many have started to ask the question if this will be Virat and Rohit's last World Cup. I believe they can play but they will need to work really hard. Fitness will play a key role. There are a lot of youngsters coming up, will they be able to compete with them? There is a question mark but it depends on how they want to play their game. There is no shortage of ability,” Kapil Dev noted.
However, this isn't the first time when Kapil Dev has made bold comments regarding India's most iconic players, Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma.
Last year, when Virat Kohli was going through a prolonged slump with the bat, he urged the national selectors to drop him from the T20I team and replace him with an in-form player.
“Yes, now the situation is such that you might be forced to bench Kohli from T20 playing eleven. If world No. 2 bowler Ashwin can be dropped from Test side then (once upon a time) world No. 1 batter can also be dropped,” the legendary all-rounder had said at the time.
“Virat is not batting at a level which we have seen him do over the years. He has made a name because of his performances but if he isn't performing, then you can't keep the performing youngsters out of the team,” Kapil Dev argued.
Talking about 2023, Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma will return to action next week when India will face Sri Lanka in a three-match ODI series.
India's squad for Sri Lanka ODIs: Rohit Sharma (Captain), Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Suryakumar Yadav, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul (wk), Ishan Kishan (wk), Hardik Pandya (VC), Washington Sundar, Yuzvendra Chahal, Kuldeep Yadav, Axar Patel, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohd. Shami, Mohd. Siraj, Umran Malik, Arshdeep Singh.
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