T20 World Cup 2021 | Selectors will have to decide the future of big names, states Kapil Dev

11/03/2021

Kapil Dev believes that if India's established players are not able to prove themselves, selectors will have to decide their future and decide whether to bring the youngsters in. He also added that India should depend on their own strengths and not on success of other teams at the T20 World Cup.

The T20 World Cup 2021 has been a very disappointing tournament for India so far, with heavy defeats to Pakistan and New Zealand respectively. In both outings, India were unable to put a par total after being put in to bat, and their opponents chased it down without much fuss.

For India, their big names like Rohit Sharma and KL Rahul have not been able to score big in any of the matches so far, while Jasprit Bumrah has been the lone star with the ball so far. They still have an outside chance of making it to the semi-finals, as they need to win all their remaining matches and hope other Group 2 results go their way.

Reflecting on India’s overall performance, former captain Kapil Dev feels that the should not depend on the success of other teams, and should focus on their own strengths to enter the knockouts. He also wondered about the future of big names in the team.

"If we succeed on the basis of some other teams, Indian cricket has never appreciated it. If you want to win the World Cup or reach the semi-finals, do it on your own strengths. It is better not to depend on other teams. I guess the selectors will have to decide the future of the big names and the big players," Kapil said in a conversation with ABP News.

After the defeat to New Zealand, there have been heavy criticism and questions over the team selection. Many called for the inclusion of in-form youngsters like Ruturaj Gaikwad, Venkatesh Iyer and Harshal Patel, who excelled in the recently concluded IPL 2021. Kapil too, believed that selectors should consider youngsters who have performed well in IPL, for national selection.

"They need to think whether the youngsters who are performing well in the IPL, is it time to give them a chance? How do we make the next generation better? If they lose, there is no harm because they will gain experience. But if these big players don't perform now and play such bad cricket, there is going to be plenty of criticism. The BCCI needs to intervene and think about bringing more youngsters in," Kapil said.

India will take on Afghanistan in Abu Dhabi on Wednesday, November 3.