‘Saddens me to see a player getting tired after bowling just four overs’ – Kapil Dev on India’s struggle of producing all-rounders

The absence of a fast bowling all-rounder has been pointed out as one of the major reasons behind India’s defeat in the ICC World Test Championship final against New Zealand. The Kiwi side beat Virat Kohli’s men by eight wickets in the summit clash and lifted the prestigious title at the Ageas Bowl in Southampton. With the track favouring the fast bowlers, many reckoned that a pacer who could bat as well would have provided India more balance.

Interestingly, Team India didn’t have a single fast-bowling all-rounder in their entire 20-man squad for the WTC final. Hardik Pandya was in contention to occupy the spot but back issues restricted his bowling and subsequently, he couldn’t make it to the Test squad. Now, India is the same country that has produced one of the finest fast-bowling all-rounders ever, Kapil Dev. However, they are currently struggling to find a genuine match-winner who can contribute with both bat and ball.

In our time, we had to do everything: Kapil Dev

Speaking of the same, Dev asserted that the changing mindset of the cricketers doesn’t allow them to contribute in multiple departments. “What I feel is that when you play 10 months of rigorous cricket in a year, you tend to get injured more. And cricket today is very basic – batsmen want to bat and bowlers want to bat. In our time, we had to do everything. So cricket today has changed,” Dev said on the Sports Yaari YouTube channel.

“Sometimes it saddens me to see a player getting tired after bowling just four overs and I’ve heard they’re not allowed to bowl more than three or four overs,” the 1983 World Cup-winning captain added. Acknowledging how much the game has evolved since his playing days, the former Indian skipper cheekily suggested that players shouldn’t hesitate in taking additional responsibilities.

“I remember in our time – I won’t say whether it’s right or wrong – even the last player who would come out and bat, we would bowl at least 10 overs to them. That mindset should be there and that helps build muscles. Today perhaps those four overs are enough for them so we feel – our generation – feel a bit strange,” Kapil pointed out.