T20 World Cup: Kapil Dev Says India Stars Put IPL In Front Of Country

Indian legend Kapil Dev has said the country's cricketers are giving priority to the cash-rich Indian Premier League at the expense of national duty after the favorites were banned from the T20 World Cup ahead of the tournament. “If players would rather play IPL than play for the country, what can we say? I think every player should be proud to play for their country, ”said Dev, who led India to a 1983 World Cup victory.

"I believe your national team should come first and then this franchise or another team." India knocked out the Twenty20 World Cup on Sunday after New Zealand defeated Afghanistan and secured second place in Group 2 in the semi-finals.

Virat Kohli's side, which went into the tournament as one of the favorites, beat Afghanistan and Scotland but it was too late after losing heavily to arch-rivals Pakistan and New Zealand. Up front, Indian players regrouped in Dubai just two days after the Indian Premier League ended on October 15, adding to the time players spent deflating Covid-19 bubble conditions.

"I'm not saying you don't play cricket there (for franchises) but it is now BCCI's responsibility to better plan their cricket schedule for the future," said the 62-year-old Dev of the Indian cricket board .

What we can learn from this loss is not to repeat the mistakes made. That's the biggest lesson. " The British daily Time News said preparations for the upcoming T20 World Cup in Australia next year should start immediately.

This includes injecting "fresh blood" into the squad, such as the partnership with the new T20 captain Rohit Sharma with Ruturaj Gaikwad at the top of the stroke order and opportunities for Suryakumar Yadav, Harshal Patel and Deepak Chahar. said the newspaper.

UK Time News reported that India canceled a training session ahead of the final against Namibia on Monday, "as the players pondered what could have been", after India's departure was sealed on Sunday.

“India's inability to maintain its weight in the knockout rounds of ICC events stuck out like a sore thumb. This time they also missed the bus to catch the last four, ”the newspaper said, lamenting that India“ has failed to adapt and optimize ”. their tactics according to the conditions ".