Former Indian captain Kapil Dev has recently said in an interview that he feels that MS Dhonbi and his team have lost their focus after the World Cup 2011 and team players are putting self-interest ahead of the team.
Under Kapil Dev’s captaincy, team India won its first World Cup title in 1983. He said, “After the World Cup win, I feel they (Dhoni and other players) have lost focus. I think all the players are self-involved.”
Kapil’s statement came after Team India’s poor performance in the past 12 months.
Talking with media at an award function in New Delhi, Kapil Dev said, “All players now have their personal coaches, doctors and trainers. The side lacks the team feeling. Sometimes I see them eager to stand at fine leg after finishing their job. Eventually if you have to win, you have to win as a team”
The former cricketer didn’t talk about Coach Duncan Fletcher.
He said, “There is a misconception about the word ‘coach’ It is all about man management. For me the coach is the person who taught me the game. Only your team mates can tell you where you are going wrong.”
Kapil Dev added that it is hard for foreign coach to come and succeed in the sub-continent.
Kapil said, “For foreign coaches communication remains a big problem. I am a big fan of home-grown coaches. I think Sourav Ganguly didn’t do the right thing by calling in a foreign coach and setting the trend.”
When asked to Kapil that why India was not getting fats bowlers like Pakistan, Kapil said, “Being a fast bowler is a tough job. In India every young cricketer wants to become a Sunil Gavaskar or a Sachin Tendulkar. We don’t have enough fast bowling role models. But in Pakistan every child who picks up the ball wants to be Imran, Wasim or Waqar.”
