India’s World Cup-winning captain Kapil Dev believes the team can’t depend entirely on Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma for winning the 2023 World Cup. Dev feels the team needs to come up with a collective effort if they have to go all the way in the tournament.
India had last won a major ICC trophy back in 2013 when MS Dhoni led the team to glory in the Champions Trophy. Since then, India hasn’t been able to win any major ICC trophy, which has been a major disappointment.
Meanwhile, Rohit Sharma was at his best in the 2019 World Cup as he scored five centuries but India lost in the semifinal against New Zealand. Similarly, Virat Kohli scored 296 runs in the 2022 T20 World Cup but the team suffered an ignominious loss of 10 wickets against England in the semifinal.
Kapil Dev said on ABP news, “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 bharosa 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.”
The former talismanic all-rounder added the youngsters need to take the onus on their shoulders and deliver for the team on the big stage of the World Cup.
“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 fulfil each of their responsibilities. The youngsters will need to come forward and say ‘it is our time’.”
Meanwhile, Dev added the biggest positive is the fact India will play in their own conditions in the upcoming World Cup. India had won the 2011 World Cup and had become the first host country to win the quadrennial event.
“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.”
India will begin their ODI World Cup preparation with a three-match ODI series against Sri Lanka.
