Cricket is a career option now: Kapil Dev

Former Indian captain Kapil Dev feels that cricket is a career option for the youngsters in the country. The reason he cites is the amount of money involved in the game now.

“Now a cricketer can earn Rs. 10 crore for playing 40 days only (in the IPL). It is just fantastic. Cricket is a career option now,” Kapil said speaking at the seventh Global Sports Summit organised by Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) in Delhi on Monday (February 22)

“Times have changed and the thought process has changed. Now parents say to their children if you do not want to study you can at least play cricket and become a Sachin Tendulkar or a Rahul Dravid.

“The corporate has done their part by way of sponsorship and media have done their part by making sports, especially cricket, big. I think the government will have to do its part by giving sports infrastructure if India wants to produce champions,” the former world cup winning skipper feels.

Kapil has also urged the government to provide support by improving sports infrastructure and reducing taxes on sports goods and equipment.

“The corporate has done their part by way of sponsorship and media have done their part by making sports, especially cricket, big. I think the government will have to do its part by giving sports infrastructure if India wants to produce champions,” he said.

“The government will have to provide the sports infrastructure. Reduce the tax on sports goods and equipments. I heard that shooters have issues on importing their equipment and ammunition. The government will have to make it easy to bring in sports goods and equipments by reducing taxes on these,” he added.

He also stated that every school in the country should have enough play fields.

“Schools are the places from where talent will come and if there are not enough play fields, how will the country produce world champions. 40 per cent of the premises of all schools should be play fields,” said Kapil.