New Delhi: India's first World Cup-winning captain Kapil Dev on Thursday said collective performance, not individual brilliance will be the key factor in deciding whether Rohit Sharma's team can end its over-a-decade-long trophy drought by winning the T20 World Cup in the West Indies.
India will take on England in the tournament's semifinal later on Thursday, hoping to make the finals where South Africa are in waiting after annihilating Afghanistan.
"Why talk about only Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Jasprit Bumrah, Hardik Pandya, or Kuldeep Yadav? Everybody has a role to play. Their job is to win the tournament," Kapil told PTI Videos in an exclusive interview.
"To win a match, an odd person can come out, but to win a tournament everybody has to work together. If we are going to depend on Bumrah or Arshdeep, then you are going to lose it," he asserted. "Bumrah is 1000 times better than me. These young boys are far better than us. We had more experience. They are better," Kapil noted.
"Let's talk about the team. That gives you a better perspective rather than the odd player. Yes main player is there and we can go around him. But everybody has to chip in to win the World Cup," he added.
Kapil pointed out that in his 1983 World Cup-winning team, he wasn't the only one who performed. "Roger Binny, Mohinder Amarnath, Kirti Azad, Yashpal Sharma all came out with match-winning performances. If you start depending on one player it means you are not going to win tournaments more often," he observed.
He wished India good luck ahead of their semi-final match against England and hoped that the Men in Blue clinch the trophy.
"All the Best, good luck, I hope the Indian players, the way they are playing keep on playing like that, they should not have a bad day and be out of the tournament (like) what happened last time in the 50 overs World Cup," said the iconic all-rounder.
"They are playing well, they are enjoying. Hats off to them. Good luck to them. I wish them all the luck and happiness," he added.
The 65-year-old, who was elected president of Professional Golf Tour of India on Wednesday, said that he feels proud to see India perceived as title contenders every time they compete in a global event.
"We should be happy that we are able to think that we can win. 20 years back, you weren't thinking. It's important that in every tournament India is going as a favourite. That's a big thing. We never thought about that. That's enough encouragement for a youngster to take up the sport. I am very happy to see where Indian cricket has reached wonderfully well," he emphasised.
Kapil lauded Bumrah, who has been the star performer for India with 11 wickets in the tournament so far. "Bumrah is 1000 times better than me. These young boys are far better than us. We had more experience. They are better. They are very good. Outstanding. They are fitter. They are much more hardworking. They are fantastic," he said.
He, however, played down the role of a captain.
"Everybody can do captaincy. Hardik, Virat, Rohit everyone can do captaincy. When you give ball to somebody, the bowler has to do the job. Yes captain is there to help you out but it's not like if you don't win he is not a good captain."
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